Remember Me
by NoelleSeven
Summary: One love.  One destiny.  Can you change what's meant to be?  Sort of AU and OOC.  NOT related to Rob's movie of the same title.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Not mine….characters all belong to SM**

**Trying something new here…sort of AU, with an extra human thrown in…I'm a little scared, but please give me a chance. :-) And again, this has nothing to do with Rob Pattinson's movie of the same name. All will be revealed in due time. :-)

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**_Don't forget to remember me_**

**_I'll be back so remember me_**

**_Please keep me in your mind if we ever have to part_**

**_Don't forget to remember me_**

**_ -T.I. feat. Mary J. Blige, "Remember Me" _**

Prologue

Not many people think about how they're going to die. At least no one I knew before I came here to Forks, save for a few clients I had worked with in the past. No one likes to think that this moment may be your last. No one likes to think that this soft embrace with your lover might be your last, that this may be the last time you ever see them. Very few learn to live in the moments. I hadn't learned that lesson…though you'd think it would've been ingrained in my memory. Why couldn't I see it in_ her_ eyes? Eyes that I was supposed to know. If only I had believed _her._ If only I could have remembered _her._

My body felt broken and my muscles burned when I tried to move, yet I forced my head to turn to where she lay. Her bones were shattered like the glass around her. I tried to call out for her, but felt thick liquid spill from my mouth instead. Trying to cough and clear my throat only made the burning I felt in my body even worse. I couldn't even cry out in pain, liquid choking my throat closed.

I saw my love's eyes meet mine and I knew…I knew this was it. I had failed her again. The same brown eyes I had failed for centuries knew too. This was the end for us. She seemed so far away and her voice seemed faint as I heard her cry out my name across the room. I lay paralyzed as death descended upon her, while the demon with the fire hair turned and started to advance toward me, teeth bared and claws outstretched. Her menacing smile that spread across her face seemed to increase the heat of the flames that licked at my body. I knew that death had finally come for me.

_Isabel…Marie…Belle…Bella…I'm sorry. _

_I love you._

**Well? Please by all means, on to chapter 1…**


	2. Ch 1:  No Faith In Medicine

**Disclaimer: Not mine…characters all belong to SM**

**A/N: Okay, here we go…Link to the banner is on my profile.**

**Special thanks to eternally_addicted for pretty much being my beta. You're awesome. :-)**

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_**Is there a way to find the cure for this implanted in a pill?**_

_**It's just the name upon the bottle, which determines if it will**_

_**Is the problem you're allergic to a well familiar name?**_

_**Do you have a problem with this one if the results are the same?**_

_**Acetaminophen, you see the medicine**_

_**Oh girl you have no faith in medicine **_

_**-The White Stripes, "Girl You Have No Faith in Medicine"**_

Chapter 1: Girl You Have No Faith in Medicine

_**APOV**_

**_6 months earlier_**

"Alice, darlin', I…"

"I'm ready!" I chirped, stopping Jasper in his path. He grinned at me, knowing I would've already seen him asking me.

"I'll leave it up to you where we go, Alice."

"Always the gentleman," I smiled, jumping up and pecking him lightly on the cheek, "I feel like…bear."

"Bear? Missing Emmett are you?" Jasper chuckled.

I nodded as we took off out the back door of the cabin we had, secluded in the mountains near Denali, Alaska. Jasper and I had taken a second honeymoon of sorts, staying separately from our "family". Our family, the Cullens, was at the family home in Forks, Washington. It had been two years since Jasper and I had said goodbye to them. We spent our two years traveling the world and seeing what had changed. We tended to frequent the less inhabited cities, but Jasper's control had been superb recently, so at his insistence, we visited many of the major cities of Asia and Africa, two areas we hadn't explored too much of. I adored the fashion in Tokyo while Jasper was captivated by the advancements in technology. We walked the Great Wall of China and before we left for Africa, tried our hands at seafood. Shark proved to be the most tasty, but with all the protests due to shark fin soup and what not, we didn't try it more than once. It was difficult getting around Africa and avoiding the sun, but we enjoyed Cape Town in South Africa, and Jasper loved exploring the pyramids in Egypt.

Back in Forks, our family had been trying new things as well. Carlisle was trying his hand at being the head of the psychiatric ward this time, and Rosalie was putting one of her degrees to use; specializing in rare blood diseases. Besides Carlisle, Rosalie had the best control over her blood lust around humans. I am always amazed by my adoptive sister and how in control she is. I knew she wouldn't fail as a doctor. Not only had I seen it, but also I knew she wouldn't let herself. Her husband Emmett was "commuting" back and forth, taking classes at the University of Washington during the week. This time he was majoring in political science, looking to add a law degree to his repertoire. Esme was content designing houses and continuing to run the online interior design page she had created. The Internet served to be a wonderful tool for her, providing her with a job she didn't have to leave behind every time the family moved to a new location.

Jasper and I had broken off from the family before. While we loved our family dearly, there were times where we didn't feel as bonded with them and needed to take a break for a year or two. Jasper and I were the only two who weren't created by Carlisle, and it sort of created some unacknowledged gap between us. Carlisle never complained, simply asking that we check in now and then. Emmett and Rosalie had gone off one their own a few times as well, once to Russia and once to some VERY remote place in Africa. We all always came back though, unable to stay away for very long.

Having been a family for nearly 70 years now, we Cullens had unlimited resources at our disposal. I could see the way the stock market would play out, the results of sporting events, and gambling wasn't even a challenge to me. Combine my ability to see the future with Jasper's ability to influence people's emotions, and we made a fair share of money…before Carlisle put a stop to the gambling. Except for the occasional sporting event. Over the years we as a family had amassed a fortune, more than we would ever know what to do with.

Carlisle spent some of the money purchasing houses around the world for us. All set in remote locations so we never gave our identities away, there were houses in Russia, Italy, England, Alaska, and Washington. Carlisle even bought Esme an island in the Caribbean for one of their anniversaries. As Jasper and I sprinted further away from the home in Alaska, I knew he read my feelings right. I wanted to go back to the family.

Jasper pulled up and I stopped, slowly prancing back to where he stood. He was gazing down intently at me with his black eyes.

"You're feeling an intense longing…surely you're not that hungry?"

I shook my head, "I really do miss them. I want to go to Forks with the rest of the family."

Jasper smiled and leaned down, softly pressing his lips to my forehead.

"All right, Darlin', after this hunt, we'll pack up and call Carlisle."

I nodded, and Jasper set off at a run, but before I could take another step, my mind was bombarded with images.

"_Well, Edward," Carlisle said, closing a file, "I think you'll fit in nicely here. I have some unique cases for you."_

"_I look forward to it."_

I didn't recognize the bronze haired man (apparently named Edward) that sat in front of Carlisle, shaking his hand. He looked so broken under the determined mask he was trying to fool Carlisle with. The vision shifted.

"_You don't remember me do you?"_

"_Now Miss-"_

"_Don't worry…you will."_

This man Edward was in the vision again, but I didn't recognize the girl he spoke with. The vision shifted again and I gasped. This time Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle were in a room I didn't recognize.

"_Start the fire!" Jasper yelled toward Emmett._

_Jasper was fighting a form with dirty blond hair whose face I couldn't see as Carlisle crouched down over another on the opposite side of the room. Emmett was ripping floorboards from the ground._

"_Alice!" Jasper shouted._

I gasped, seeing myself in the vision.

"_Jasper, I can't!" I called, my hands fumbling with tying a belt around a human's leg, "I have to stop it! There's so much blood!"_

I could literally feel the burning and pooling of venom in my mouth, and the struggle that I was having in my vision to resist the call of the blood. I gasped, Edward's bronze hair clear in my vision, and I knew it was his leg I was tending to. The last of the vision stunned me so much, I felt myself crumble to my knees, holding my temples.

"_This is definitely the one."_

"_Are you sure Alice?"_

"_Trust me." _

I was gasping as the vision ended, my sense slowly coming back to me. Jasper was on his knees in front of me, shouting my name, but what I had just seen had me reeling. Whoever Edward and this girl in my visions were, they were going to alter the future of our family. Where was Edward? He wasn't in my last vision…just the brown haired girl! It was clear we were fighting for whoever these two humans were. What startled me more than anything in the last vision was the brown haired girl's eyes…they were the golden color of a vegetarian vampire. And she and I were…friends. Friends who were picking out dresses.

"Call…Carlisle…" I gasped.

Whatever was going to happen to cause these events, and a new vampire joining our family, it all started with Carlisle.

_**EPOV**_

"Edward…you should take the job…"

I cringed as my mother coughed violently from her bed.

"Mom..." I sighed, "We came here to get you better."

"Edward…your father…"

"Mom, please. You need to rest."

She coughed violently again, but shook her head. I didn't think I would be able to bare another conversation about my father…and I knew for certain my mother wouldn't be able to either. Whatever this disease was that was ravaging her blood, it worsened when my father died. I knew what my mom was concerned about. She was scared that I wouldn't be able to pay for her medical bills…and it was unspoken, but she was worried about what would happen to me if she died.

"Edward…" She rasped, "Let Dr. Cullen help you. You could…do well…here…"

"Mom…you NEED to rest…please, Dr. Hale…"

"Did I hear my name?"

Dr. Rosalie Hale. If she hadn't demonstrated her vast medicinal knowledge the first time we met, I would've questioned just what the hell Barbie was doing playing doctor with my mother. I supposed you would say she was beautiful…if you were into the obviously beautiful thing. She certainly caused a disturbance amongst the male doctors whenever she walked by. I shook my head at the lack of professionalism.

"Dr. Masen, Mrs. Masen…how is our patient today?"

At 25 years old, I had caused quite the stir in the medical community, and the educational community in general. I had graduated from medical school at the age of 23, having entered college when I was 14 and graduating when I was 16. I was an oddity amongst my peers, considered a freak with no social grace. I learned things quickly, almost as if I was already born with the knowledge. My father had pushed that I move ahead, achieving what I could at my young age. My mother thought it would be better if I lived the life of a regular child, but my father praised me so, rewarding me for my intelligence. Looking back, I should've listened to my mother.

"Not listening," I smiled tightly, Dr. Hale picking up my mother's charts, nodding.

"Now, Mrs. Masen, you know you have to rest. We are drawing more blood tomorrow and you're going to need all your strength. It would be wise to listen to your young son here."

I scowled. "Young" son? It was remarks like that, which made me dislike Dr. Hale. There was something about her…cold, distant, condescending…I hated it. Not that I thought she was very fond of me. Being a doctor, and branded a certified genius at a young age, I knew how to read the results of Dr. Hale's labs and questioned every decision in regards to her results. It drove her crazy…but I needed to have the best care for my mother. She was the only family I had left.

"Yes well…Dr. Hale, what exactly are we going to be looking for tomorrow?"

"_I_ will be looking to see how your mother's blood reacts to the new concoction of drugs we have decided to test. Rest assured, Dr. Masen, I will figure out what is wrong."

She was glaring at me, daring me to defy her. I stood my ground, unwilling to be intimidated by Dr. Barbie. Did she not understand how important this was to me? How important my mother was to me? I was about to make a sarcastic remark, but we were interrupted.

"Ah, Dr. Hale, Dr. Masen…how are things today?"

I turned to see Dr. Carlisle Cullen standing in the doorway of my mother's room. He was looking at me like he was waiting for something. I sighed, knowing what it was he wanted to talk to me about.

"I take it you want to talk to me about the psychiatric ward?" I asked.

Dr. Cullen's eyes widened marginally and he chuckled, "It's like you can read my mind, Edward."

"Edward, go…" my mother rasped from her bed, "I'll be fine."

I cringed when she coughed violently again, and Dr. Hale moved around the bed to check on my mother's IVs.

"I'll take care of things here, Dr. Masen," Dr. Hale said coolly, in a tone that was clearly meant to dismiss me. I could feel my temper flare, but it was the cool hand of Dr. Cullen on my arm that kept it in place.

"If you would, Dr. Masen…" Dr. Cullen extended his arm towards the door.

I headed out the door slowly. My attire would convince you entirely of my age and I didn't look like I was a doctor, let alone one of the most renowned psychiatrists in the country. I was wearing a vintage Pink Floyd shirt, jeans, and some Converse shoes. My hair was in no way brushed and was running wild on my head, and as I had been told more than once, unless I had some stubble going, I looked like a 12-year-old boy.

"Do you mind if we go talk in my office, Edward?"

"I'd rather not go far from my mother," I stated. It wasn't that I had a job or anything waiting for me back in Chicago, but I wasn't here to work. Dr. Hale was the "best" when it came to rare blood diseases, and that was the reason I was here in Forks, leaving my previous position in Chicago behind. I wasn't here to work or be concerned with anything other than my mother's health. She was all I had left in this world, and once Dr. Hale cured her, we would head back to Chicago.

"Of course," Dr. Cullen acquiesced, "Perhaps the lounge to the left?"

I nodded and followed him a little ways down the hall and turned the corner to the small doctors' lounge. There were coffee machines, water dispensers, soda machines, snack machines, a refrigerator, tables, chairs, and a sofa. Typical hospital looking lounge. We sat at one of the tables and Dr. Cullen rested his elbows on the table in front of him, tenting his fingers in front of his mouth, almost hiding a smile on his lips.

"How are you doing, Edward?"

I raised my brows at him. Was he really going to do this?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Cullen, should I be paying you for your time?"

He looked taken aback for a minute before he chuckled softly, "Just a general question, Edward. You're not on the couch or anything."

I just nodded and drummed my fingers on my knee. Being away from my mother when she was in such a fragile state made me anxious.

"Do you know how your mother is doing?"

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"She's doing worse. Dr. Hale can't figure out what is going on. She tried using a cocktail of steroids but she hasn't quite figured out what it is that is exactly attacking my mother's blood. It's like some sort of anemia…but no one can figure it out."

I leaned my head back and ran my hands through my hair.

"It's like a combination of autoimmune hemolytic anemia and aplastic anemia, but worse. Her immune system is attacking and destroying her red blood cells, but her spleen has failed, leaving the damaged RBCs in her bloodstream. Her body has also stopped producing white blood cells."

I could feel the tears of frustration and tiredness. In the moments when my mother was sleeping, I felt so alone. There was no one else who bared this burden with me. If she went…I didn't know what I would do, where I would go…there would be nothing left for me. Hardly anyone ever asked me how I was feeling, what I was thinking in terms of life outside of the hospital…I hadn't allowed myself to even think in those outcomes, but after everything just came out right now as I talked to Dr. Cullen, it seemed all the more real to me. My mother was fading fast…and there were decisions I would need to make.

"Don't give up, Edward," Carlisle clapped a hand on my shoulder in a fatherly manner. I oddly found it comforting. I had been without a fatherly figure in my life a long while now. I had no one here to guide me and show me how I should be dealing with life right now. I missed my dad more than I ever thought possible.

Giving Carlisle a weak smile, I nodded. For the first time since he offered, I was thinking about the position at the hospital that would put me working in his department. He said he could use a "talented" doctor like myself on his staff. Obviously these were words I heard from every hospital that tried to get me to be a part of their psychiatric wards. If my…if she…I couldn't even think it. It was a reality I never wanted to face. Carlisle left shortly after that, dismissing himself when his pager went off. I sat alone in the lounge for an unknown amount of time. Saying my mother's diagnosis out loud, opened up the floodgates of all the thoughts and feeling I kept hidden away.

In all this time my mother was ill, I didn't stop to think about what I would do if she didn't make it. After the death of my father, I bottled everything up. I had to be strong for my mother. She had just lost the love of her life under tragic circumstances. It had been two years since my father's death…and every time I stopped to think about it, I refused to believe that it was an animal attack like the police had said. How the fuck would an animal be big enough and strong enough to rip my father to…I shook my head. I couldn't go there.

Glancing at my watch, I realized I had been away from my mother for over 40 minutes now. I stood up to stretch and slowly made my way out of the lounge when I heard a commotion coming from the hallway. As I entered, I saw nurses and both Dr. Hale and Dr. Cullen go racing into a room. My feet instantly picked up speed, praying they weren't running into the room I thought they were. When I ran into my mother's room, it was a flurry of activity and doctors and nurses yelling things.

"What happened?" I shouted, trying to fight my way to my mother's bedside.

"Edward, you shouldn't be in here," Dr. Cullen turned, trying to steer me towards the door.

I could see Dr. Hale leaning over my mother and trying to work on her, as the machines around her informed me of my mother's now non-existent heartbeat.

"MOM!" I shouted, struggling to get past Dr. Cullen. The man had a ridiculously strong grip on me as he started to push me back. I was lost in a haze of panic as I watched them work on my mother and I was pushed further and further away. I continued to scream for my mother as I was led into the hallway. I didn't even notice that security had been called and I was being escorted away by two guards and Dr. Cullen. I was in a daze and it felt like my world was collapsing on me.

"Mom…mom…mom…" I repeated over and over, but my breathing was becoming shallower and more frantic. I could hear Dr. Cullen saying something, but it didn't register as I said, "Mom" one more time before my world was swallowed by darkness.

_**APOV**_

"Alice, you paged me?"

"Carlisle," I shouted, as Jasper drove us towards the airport, "Did you hire a doctor named Edward?"

"Alice, did you have a vision?" Carlisle, asked, his voice turning serious.

"Jasper and I are coming to Forks," I said ignoring the question, "I need to know, Carlisle! Is there a doctor named Edward?"

"Alice, I-"

His pager went off and my sight was bombarded with a vision.

"_I'm sorry, Dr. Masen…" Rosalie said, her face even paler than usual and filled with an emotion I'd never seen on her before…defeat._

"_No…no, no, no…" the bronze-haired man Edward was back, this time he was sitting in an office on a couch, clutching his hair in both hands._

"_Dr. Masen, is there some-"_

"_Get out!" Edward spat._

_Rosalie's face flickered with anger, but quickly slipped back into a blank mask. Without saying another word. She walked out of the room_

"Alice, darlin', what is it?" Jasper asked, as he sped us closer to our destination.

I looked down at the phone in my hand, seeing that Carlisle had hung up long ago. I shook my head, mulling over my vision again. Rosalie was treating someone that this Edward cared for…and that person died. My sight was hit with a stronger vision of Edward accepting the job offer from Carlisle.

"_I'm glad__,__ Edward. I think you'll fit in nicely here. I already set aside four cases for you to look at. I think you will be a good fit for these clients."_

_Edward nodded, and I saw he looked terrible. Dark, bruise-like shadows under his eyes, days worth of stubble on his face, his hair a chaotic mess…_

"_May I see?" Edward asked, holding his hands out for the folders on Carlisle's desk._

"_Here you go, Edward. Mary Whitlock, Emmett McCarty, Jasper Platt, and a recent patient, Isabella Swan."_

I gasped and sat back, hitting the back of the seat hard.

"Darlin', you're scaring me worse than ever here with your visions. What is going on?"

"We need to get to Forks. This needs to be discussed with the entire family."

**_2 days later_**

"I refuse to let you do this!" Rosalie screamed, all of her anger directed at Emmett.

"Babe, Alice hasn't been wrong before…"

"Things change based on what we decide! I refuse to be a part of this!"

I sighed and rubbed my temples. Nothing was changing. I had already seen that Rosalie and Esme were not going to be a part of this.

"Rosalie…" Esme started softly.

"No! What do these humans matter to us? If we don't help them, Alice's vision will change!"

"Nothing's changing…" I whispered.

"Rosalie," Carlisle sighed, "We need to think about this. Elizabeth Masen just died two days ago. I think we need to investigate this more. See what part Edward has to play in all of this."

"What is so important about him?" Rosalie hissed, standing, and stalking towards the windows, "Why should we endanger our family's safety for him? He's not even alive in Alice's last vision! Plus we don't know who this Isabella Swan is."

I shook my head, clenching my eyes closed. Carlisle had admitted a patient named Isabella Swan this morning. When I saw it happen, I knew things were already far into motion. She was the girl from my vision. I cradled my head in my hands as my family erupted into the worst fight we had ever had. Once Carlisle informed Rosalie of the new patient that arrived at the hospital this morning, my mind was hit with images of Rosalie's future. She was in Denali, heaving dry sobs into her pillow, surrounded by the three Denali sisters.

"_Emmett stayed! I'm his wife and he chose them over me!"_

"_Oh, Rosalie," Kate cooed, "It'll be okay."_

I saw no more, Rosalie not having made a decision whether it would be okay or not. However, with her vision, that meant Emmett had already made his decision.

"Rosie baby, Alice's vision isn't changing…"

"Are you SERIOUSLY thinking about staying?" Rosalie shrieked.

"This affects the entire family-"

"FAMILY! You think we're a family?" Rosalie let out a sarcastic chuckle, "A family doesn't make foolish decisions based on one person's visions! A family takes into account what is best for everyone!"

"That is what we are doing, Rosalie, trying to figure out what's best," Carlisle stepped in.

"Based on Alice's vision! This hasn't even come to pass! If we decide not to do anything, her vision will change!"

"She hasn't been wrong before," Jasper growled.

Rosalie growled in return, and soon we were all crouched and glaring at each other, mates standing in front of mates, prepared to defend each other at a moment's notice. Rosalie hissed.

"I refuse to be a part of this!"

"Rosie…"

"You're either coming with me or you're not. These humans mean nothing to me, and I fail to see how they will matter if we just leave them alone."

I closed my eyes and braced myself for what I knew was coming next.

Emmett sighed heavily and rubbed his hand across his face.

"Babe, I owe it to Carlisle to stay. This is our family, we should see this through."

My eyes remained closed, not wanting to see the hurt and then the fury unfold in front of me. My ears were met with the loud crack of what sounded like boulders slamming together, but I knew was really Rosalie slapping Emmett. She wasn't even going to pack a bag. She was just going to take her car and go. I heard the front door slam and the chair that was near the fireplace splinter against the wall.

"Jazzy…" I whispered.

Emmett's roar of frustration filled the air as Jasper tried to calm us all down. I couldn't see if Rosalie was ever going to come back or not, but I was hit with a vision of Emmett in the future.

"_Bella-boo, there's no way you can beat me."_

"_Whatever you say, Emmy-Bear," Bella smiled, her eyes still a riveting red._

"_I don't know, Em," Jasper chuckled, "She's a new born."_

"_Psh…I got this."_

_I giggled, watching as Emmett and Bella kneeled on opposite sides of a large boulder and prepared to arm wrestle. The second Jasper said "go", Bella had Emmett's body flying as she slammed his fist into and through the boulder, splitting it in half._

"_Holy fuck!" Emmett shouted, jumping to his feet and shaking out his hand._

"_Language!" I heard Esme call._

I blinked open my eyes quickly. That was the first I had seen of Esme in any of the visions.

"Alice?" Carlisle questioned, having noticed I had a vision.

I smiled sadly, not sure if Emmett would really appreciate hearing this or not.

"She's going to be friends with all of us," I whispered, "Bella's going to be an exceptionally strong newborn."

I stood and knelt next to Emmett, as he sat on the stairs clutching his head in his hands. Placing a hand gently on his shoulder, I hoped this would bring him something to smile about.

"She called you 'Emmy-Bear', and you called her 'Bella-boo'. We're all going to be very close."

Emmett sighed heavily, "You still see her becoming one of us even without…without…"

"It hasn't changed, Em," I said softly.

"Is she coming back?"

"I don't know. She hasn't decided."

"What about that doctor guy Edward?"

I was set to answer when I heard Carlisle's phone ring, and the image of Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle and I, in the room I didn't recognize earlier, became clearer.

"_Edward! Edward, shhh! Hold on!" I cried, feeling myself battle the urge to taste the blood that spilled from wounds around his body, and to save him. My hands fumbled with a belt to try and tie a tourniquet around the top of his thigh._

_My body was suddenly hit and I went flying, but I was able to turn myself in the air and land on my feet. I crouched and hissed, eying the vampire that stood across from me._

"_Alice!" Jasper roared from somewhere across the room._

I gasped. We were in an old abandoned dance studio. I could only assume it was the one that was here in Forks. The only thing I could see was mirrors.

_I growled, Edward's form was writhing on the floor in pain, no doubt from the venom coursing through his body. Jasper and Emmett were across the room, and they were fighting with two forms I couldn't recognize. Carlisle was crouched on the ground working feverishly on another crumpled human form._

"_Pixie bitch," the flame haired vampire across from me hissed, "the human is mine! His father's sweet blood courses through his veins!"_

My vision ended as the red haired vampire lunged towards me. Jasper was in front of me instantly, his eyes worried and the rest of our family soon surrounding him. No doubt his emotions of worry were influencing our family.

"Alice, what is it?"

"Carlisle, who was on the phone?" I asked quietly.

His brows furrowed and he answered slowly.

"Edward Masen…he wants to meet with me tomorrow to talk about the job offer."

"He's going to take it isn't he?" Esme asked, her voice filled with sadness. No doubt she felt sorry for Edward, another child left without parents.

"He is," I answered.

"So what do we do now?" Emmett asked, still sitting on the stairs.

"We pose as patients like Alice saw," Jasper stated, his military training coming into play as he contemplated our course of action, "We find out what it is about Edward Masen and this Isabella Swan that drives, at least Isabella, to become a part of our family."

"I saw three of them," I whispered.

"Three of what?" Carlisle asked.

"I had a vision of that room I told you about before. It's a dance studio of some sort. Carlisle, you were working on who I can only assume was Bella on the floor. Jasper and Emmett, you were both fighting a vampire each. Edward was bitten and lying on the floor, the venom already affecting him. A red haired female knocked me away."

I sighed heavily, "Carlisle, I think they're hunting Edward. In my vision, the female mentioned something about Edward's father and his blood running through Edward's veins."

"You think they killed Edward's father?" Esme asked, her voice alarmed.

Carlisle ran a hand through his hair, "I looked into it when they arrived in Forks. Police reports all said that it was an animal attack of some sort. His throat, chest, and arms had been slashed to pieces. I saw the pictures. No one even addressed the lack of blood, or the fact that they were claiming an animal attack in the middle of downtown Chicago."

"Edward is not in any of Alice's visions after the dance studio," Jasper stated.

"What does that mean? Does that mean he died?" Emmett asked, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

Esme gasped and her hand covered her mouth. I knew she wouldn't like the idea, but seeing as how he wasn't in any of my other visions, I didn't see how he could be alive.

"I don't know…" I whispered.

"Then we go through with what you've seen in your vision. The three of you going undercover so to speak, as patients at the hospital. We'll have to be able to provide Edward with as much protection as we can. Perhaps we can change the future, and keep him alive," Carlisle said.

I nodded. I was frustrated, not having seen anything of Edward in my visions.

"What about the girl?" Jasper asked, "We should find out what we can about her."

Carlisle nodded, "She plays a big part in all of this obviously. And Alice had a vision of her working with Edward. Something about her knowing him previously right?"

I confirmed Carlisle's question with a nod. There was something significant about this relationship between Edward and Isabella. I just didn't see what it was yet.

"I will help Carlisle protect Edward when he is outside the hospital," Esme spoke up, "I can't enter the hospital as a patient. The staff already knows me as Carlisle's wife."

Things were slowly starting to fall into place, but there were still pieces of the future I was missing. Hopefully more would fall in as we put this plan into motion. We would have to figure out how to explain Rosalie's sudden departure, and the hospital thought Emmett's last name was Hale. He had not been introduced to any of the staff members, and Jasper and I just arrived in Forks, not meeting anyone yet. With our back stories each set to become one of Edward's patients, we all separated for the evening.

Carlisle returned to the hospital to prepare our files for Edward, and Jasper took Emmett hunting. Tomorrow, we would be entered into the Forks Hospital psychiatric ward, and both Jasper and Emmett would need their strength, being surrounded by so many humans and blood. Emmett needed his brother in this time to grieve Rosalie's departure, and that left me at home with Esme. She was coming hunting with me when the boys returned. I was sitting on our patio in the back of the house, overlooking the forest. I smiled when I heard the door open; already knowing that Esme was coming to talk to me.

"What do you think the connection with Isabella and Edward is?" Esme asked, sitting next to me on our porch swing.

I shook my head, "I don't know. I haven't seen anything more of their interactions together."

"In the visions in the dance studio…is…is Carlisle safe?" Esme asked hesitantly.

I smiled softly and nodded, "He's okay. From what I see, he's working on saving Bella while Jasper and Emmett fight two of the other vampires. It's still hazy, but I'm definitely fighting the red head female."

"I keep wondering how we're all related," Esme sighed, "And what happens to Edward. That poor boy."

Esme had become a motherly figure to us all, and no doubt she was feeling for the newly orphaned Edward. We sat in silence for a few minutes, and as Esme thought quietly to herself, I was hit with another vision, this one at least for the time being, was something pleasant.

"That's a wonderful idea, Esme," I smiled.

"You saw him accept?" She asked, a little shocked.

"He will. He especially likes the large bookcase in the living room."

Esme smiled softly, her eyes swimming with all sorts of emotions, "I'm glad. Someone should be able to enjoy the cottage."

"And it puts him within close proximity to our house. Easier for you and Carlisle to keep an eye on him."

Esme sighed, "I'm worried about all of this, Alice. I know the three of you are going to be together in the hospital and Carlisle will insure you're able to get in and out when needed, but I still don't like it. What if something goes wrong? I hate to question Jasper's control, but we don't want an outburst in the hospital."

"His control has increased immensely. We were even able to enjoy Tokyo surrounded by all of those people. He will be okay."

"I just don't want the Volturi coming after our family. They are already wary of our family as it is."

I nodded. Esme's fears were valid, but I saw nothing of the Volturi in my visions.

"And these three vampires? They must be nomads," Esme stated, "Do you think they're already here if they've been tracking Edward?"

I furrowed my brows as I tried to see if I could pick up anything on the nomads. From what I could see, they were running through a forest somewhere. It could be anywhere, but I could see the three of them clearly. The red haired female, a shirtless white, dirty blond male who resembled a long lost Hanson brother, and a shirtless black male with dreadlocks. At least now, I knew who we would be looking for.

"They're in a forest somewhere, but it could be anywhere," I sighed, "I think we should assume that they are already near. And we should start monitoring the papers for disappearances, murders, and the like."

"You know what they look like?"

I nodded, seeing them clearly again in my mind's eye. They came to a running stop and I gasped. Their view was of downtown Seattle, the Space Needle clearly in sight.

"What is it, Alice?" Esme asked worriedly, her hand resting on my shoulder.

"They're near Seattle," I whispered, "They're closing in."

"We need to call Carlisle and the boys," Esme said, standing to go back inside.

I nodded, running up to my room to get my drawing materials. At least we would know what these three nomads looked like once they got to Forks. We had a lot to prepare for before tomorrow. If Carlisle and Edward's meeting went as was planned, Edward would be starting work at the hospital within the week, and moving into the cottage on our property in a matter of days. Tomorrow, Jasper, Emmett, and I would enter the hospital, and I would begin my mission of befriending Isabella Swan.

**_Forks Hospital, psychiatric ward_**

"Darlin', you need to relax…you're making me antsy," Jasper said soft enough for only Emmett and me to hear.

Jasper was currently in his room waiting to be brought to the common room. Emmett was the first of us to be meeting with Edward Masen as a patient. He was chuckling under his breath as he waited to be brought from his room to meet Edward. I, on the other hand, was in the common room pretending to enjoy watching some talk show on the television. There were only two other people in here at the moment, and none of them were Isabella Swan. I smiled to myself when Jasper was brought in. His back story would definitely prove to be a challenge to Dr. Masen.

"What is this hell you have me in?" Jasper spit, "I don't understand it."

"Now, Mr. Platt," one of the security guards said, "Dr. Cullen thinks you will be fine with time spent in the common room."

I had to try hard not to laugh as the guard deposited Jasper in an armchair near me.

"This here is called a television and you're watching a talk show. It's what we do for entertainment. Now be nice to Ms. Whitlock, Mr. Platt."

I gave the guard one of my best smiles and Jasper chuckled quietly as the guard said hello to me and tripped over his own feet as he walked back to his post. Jasper shook his head.

"That wasn't very nice, Darlin'. The poor man is feeling inappropriate things for a patient…and to top it all off, my wife."

"I believe your last name is Platt," I teased, both of us speaking so low only we could hear each other. Well, and Emmett. I heard him laughing loudly from his room.

"You tell him, Ali!" Emmett chuckled.

"Don't you have somewhere to be…" Jasper muttered.

We spent a few more minutes bantering back and forth under our breath before a guard came to get Emmett for his session with Edward. Jasper and I wished him luck as we continued to watch the bad television. Jasper was about to make some comment about how ridiculous relationships have gotten in the present day, when I had a vision of the brown haired girl, Isabella Swan.

"Bella will be here in one minute and seventeen seconds," I smiled, "They're bringing her over now."

"You see her?" Jasper whispered as he shifted his position, remembering to act human.

"She'll be walking through the door in 47 seconds. She's in green hospital scrubs and her hair is down. Almost past her waist."

Jasper nodded, and we both kept our eyes averted from the door. I didn't want to be staring intently when they brought her in. I heard the door open and was hit was a strong floral smell…something like freesias and strawberries.

"That's her," I grinned, and I saw Jasper shift uncomfortably, "Don't worry Jasper, you won't hurt her."

He nodded and flinched as Bella was brought over and sat next to me on the couch, between Jasper and I. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, and she was definitely the girl from my visions. She had long, brown hair with strands of red dancing through it, pale complexion, red lips, and those chocolaty brown eyes. If it wasn't for her eye color and calm, steady beat of her heart, I might've thought she was one of us. When I turned to fully look at her, I saw that she was staring intently at Jasper. Jazz was trying to ignore her stares and keep his focus on the television, and I was hit with a vision only seconds before she spoke.

"Jasper?" Bella whispered.

I couldn't stop my head from snapping in Bella's direction and I saw Jasper's do the same. Both our faces read the same…complete shock. Bella's face split into a wide smile and she scooted further towards the edge of the couch, and nearer to Jasper.

"Jasper Whitlock?" Bella whispered again.

Jasper's eyes snapped towards mine and I shook my head, completely unsure of how she knew who he was. I hadn't seen this coming at all. Jasper looked at Bella and shook his head.

"My name is Jasper Platt, ma'am. I'm a soldier from the Confed-"

"It is you!" Bella cut him off, "You grew up outside of Gainesville and your last name is Whitlock. You lived next to the Swan family. You, Jacob, and Robert left for the war together."

I couldn't even move as Jasper's eyes went wide. This girl knew Jasper's real life history. I knew that he grew up outside of Gainesville on his family's farm. He often spoke of the neighboring family, one of the extremely rare ones that did not believe in having black slaves. Instead, Jasper told me, they had servants that came from a poor white family that had been looking for work. The Swan family…did that mean Bella was related? How could we have missed this possible connection? When I glanced back at Jasper, I could see that he was lost in the past.

"Robert Masen…" Jasper whispered, loud enough for both of us to hear.

I gasped…Masen? Was he related to Edward? Jasper glanced at me.

"Alice…I think we may have missed something big."

It was then that Bella turned to look at me. She smiled kindly.

"Hello…Oh! Wow…your eyes are something else."

Her brows furrowed and she turned back to look at Jasper.

"Jasper, your eyes used to be blue…" Bella sighed, "I miss it. Though I do suppose it's better than red…"

"You know what we are?" I whispered quickly.

Bella nodded, "It's how I also know he is the same Jasper Whitlock born in eighteen forty-three."

"How…" Jasper started.

"I'll tell you all in due time," Bella smiled, "But first I need to meet Edward."

"You and Edward are connected," I stated, waiting to see what she'd say next.

"We are…but I will not share anything with you just yet. I must meet him first."

"You're human…" Jasper mumbled, "How do you know all of this?"

"It all just…happened," Bella simply answered, "Though I don't know how it will all end. All I know is that I have to change it…it can't end like it has before. This is our last chance."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my irritation slowly creeping to the surface.

"Later," Bella said.

Jasper rubbed his face and I was completely confused, my sight failing me for the first time in a long time. I didn't know what Bella was going to say or do next.

"Oh my God…" Jasper gasped, "You're…you can't be…Belle Swan?"

The vision was faint, but I could see Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle and myself talking with Bella in Carlisle's office. I couldn't yet hear what was being said, but I saw it happening. Belle? To say I was confused would be an understatement. I didn't remember anything from my life as a human, and Jasper's memories contained gaps. Carlisle and Emmett were the only ones amongst us who seemed to have retained the majority of their memories as a human.

Bella nodded, "Belle Swan was the daughter of Martha and Jonathan Swan, sister of Jacob Swan. He also fought in the war with you and Robert. I'm not Belle…but her past lives through me. I'm Isabella Swan."

"Jasper…do you remember this?" I asked, our voices still low.

Jasper's eyes closed and he shook his head.

"This isn't possible…you look exactly like her."

Bella grinned, "You haven't seen Edward yet have you? I'm sure he looks the same as well."

Jasper's eyes snapped open, "Surely he's not…Robert Masen?"

"I'll explain in due time," Bella smiled softly, "But first I need to see Edward for myself, and actually, I'll need to see Carlisle Cullen as well."

"Bella," I started, "Are you…are you talking about reincarnation? You and Edward have come back? And what does Carlisle have to do with all of this?"

"Something like that," Bella sighed, as she began to gnaw on her bottom lip and play with her fingers in her lap, "I'll explain Carlisle after I've seen Edward."

I was starting to get irritated. I knew she had decided that she was waiting until she saw Edward before she explained anymore, but all I still saw was the vision of all of us in Carlisle's office talking, and I still couldn't hear anything. I let out an irritated growl and rubbed my temples.

Jasper gasped suddenly, "That was the last time I saw you! When they put out the conscription law and Jacob, Robert, and I came home to say we were joining up with Jonathan and my father. You were sitting there in the same fashion."

Bella immediately released her lip and her face spread into a wide grin.

"You remember Belle…you remember me."

Jasper nodded, "But…"

Bella didn't let Jasper finish as she turned to speak to me.

"Alice, I need to ask you a question."

"Um…okay," I answered before seeing the vision. I decided to let her ask so Jasper would be in the know.

"I had a dream the other night. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but vampires have powers? And you have…powers?"

I looked at Jasper and we both nodded slowly.

"I need you to tell me, Alice…what have you seen?"

**Well? Yes? No? All will be explained about Bella in due time. If "LOST" taught me anything, it was to never answer the big questions in the beginning, and hopefully I won't leave you guys with as many questions in the end. :-P Let me know what you guys think, good or bad, pretty please?**


	3. Ch 2:  Dead and Gone

**Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with the characters SM created**

**A/N: Thank you all for reading & reviewing! I promise all questions will be answered before the end. :-D**

**Side note: This chapter takes place**_** before **_**Alice's POV at the end of Chapter 1. I hope that's not too confusing for anyone. And yeah, I kind of like T.I. :-P **

_**I turn my head to the East**_

_**I don't see nobody by my side**_

_**I turn my head to the West**_

_**Still nobody in sight**_

_**So I turn my head to the North**_

_**Swallow that pill that they call pride**_

_**The old me is dead and gone**_

_**But the new me will be all right**_

_**-T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake, "Dead and Gone"**_

Chapter 2: Dead and Gone

_**EPOV**_

Despite all of the lavish comforts that now surrounded me, there was nothing about it that put me at ease. I had grown up to a life of luxury, being the son of a high powered attorney and one of the most famous pianists to ever grace a Chicago concert hall. Add that with being a "gifted" child, and I was always treated with the best growing up. I was given the best teachers, the best tutors, the best schools…only the best.

_The best._

Those two words filled me with disgust. When I was searching for hospitals and doctors who specialized in rare blood diseases, everyone formed a consensus, telling me that Dr. Rosalie Hale was the best. She was a newcomer, but she had invented a new cocktail for AIDS & HIV patients that were practically being called a cure. _The best_. If she was the best, she would've saved my mother. If she was the best, I wouldn't have laid my mother to rest next to my father in the cold Chicago cemetery near our former Lincoln Park home. If Dr. Rosalie Hale was the best, my mother would still be alive.

I sold our Chicago home and everything in it. I kept our family pictures, but they now lay in a box in the back of my closet. The only other items I kept with me were my parents' wedding rings. They now lay on a black chord against my chest. I even parted with my mother's precious piano…the one I had nearly followed her footsteps in. I didn't want the items that would overwhelmingly remind me how alone I now was in this world.

Keeping my business as brief as possible, I settled all of the necessary affairs before I left Chicago and my former self behind, choosing now to hole away from the world in the dreary town of Forks, Washington. Dr. Cullen had done everything in his power to make sure that my move was a comfortable one. I only hoped Dr. Hale would never have any reason to cross paths with me at the hospital.

After accepting the job, I was surprised to find that Dr. Cullen had already set aside four specific cases for me to look at. Each one was different and each would present a prolonged challenge. I needed the work. I needed to find a something that didn't come in a bottle to drown out the rest of the world and forget the encompassing loneliness I now felt in my life.

I now sat by a roaring fire in a lavish stone fireplace, a soft black leather armchair supporting my frame. Dr. Cullen's wife was an interior designer and redid this cottage that sat on their expansive property. When I accepted Dr. Cullen's offer, he immediately offered the cottage as a living space. In all honesty, I didn't think it would be so richly decorated and furnished. I didn't need any of those comforts anymore…the pain in my heart was enough to remind me of who I had lost.

The bottle of vodka that rested in my lap was nearly gone and I knew I was going to be in for the most horrendous morning tomorrow. It was my last day off before I started my work at the hospital. I took another swig from the bottle, letting the vodka burn down my throat. Anything to forget about the pain. That and the way I treated Mrs. Cullen earlier.

I was already a third of the way into the bottle when she stopped by unannounced. All I wanted to do was drown in my sorrows, but she wouldn't go away. She brought me over food that she had prepared that was still sitting on the kitchen counter and even brought me extra blankets and sheets.

"_Please just leave me alone Mrs. Cullen!" I snapped._

I sighed and took another swig from my bottle, seeing the shocked and hurt look on her face when I snapped at her.

"_Call me Esme please," She said calmly as she stood and placed a paper on the table next to all of the food she bought. "That's the phone number to the main house. If you need anything please call."_

My mother would've been ashamed at how rude I had been, and I felt incredibly guilty for treating Mrs Cul- I mean- Esme that way. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was too late to call and apologize. I rubbed my eyes, hoping that I hadn't offended Dr. Cullen by offending his wife.

I stood, taking the bottle with me, and headed into the office. I cringed when I took in the room. Lavish cherry wood desk and bookcases, plush brown leather chairs, and other items I didn't find necessary. Tripping into the chair behind the desk, I laughed in my drunken stupor as I almost fell out of it, nearly missing the seat. Gaining my bearings, I slapped my palm and the vodka bottle on the table, the four case files in front of my face sort of looking like eight. Picking up the one on top, I took another swig from the bottle, and felt a drunken smile spread across my face.

"Swan…Isa…Isabell…Isabella…" I slurred out. It took a mere second before I burst out laughing.

"Who names their child 'Swan'?"

I tossed the file over my shoulder and picked up the next one.

"HAH!" I shouted, "'Whitlock'? Where the hell are these people coming from?"

I threw the file over my shoulder again, finding these first names of my clients absolutely ridiculous. I stumbled my way towards the door, only when I reached it, realizing that I left the bottle of vodka on the desk. As I turned back, I swear the room seemed to tip sideways, and I determined that I had already come too far. Instead of going back for it, I tripped my way down the hall, stripping off my clothes as I went.

I scowled when I took in the king sized bed that sat in my bedroom. Yeah…who the fuck was I going to share _that_ with? I looked down, seeing that I was now naked. The scowl on my face only seemed to deepen as I took in my limp dick.

"Worthless…" I muttered.

You would think that anything, and I mean anything, would make my 25 year old virgin dick stand at full salute, but again…I swear being gifted has left me deficient in other parts of my anatomy. As far as I was concerned, my cock was a useless appendage. There was seriously something wrong with me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I muttered, jutting my hips and making my flaccid penis slap against my thigh.

The only time _any _sort of sexual desires affected me was in my dreams. It wasn't every night, but most nights of the week, I dreamt of _her_. A brown-eyed beauty that I didn't know, her long hair and soft moans enough to send my body into overdrive and my washing machine to become overloaded with soiled sheets. That wasn't all that occurred in my dreams. It was always in a different setting, but it was still her…this unknown beauty. Her eyes were always the same. Out of all of them, I had to say that my favorite had been the one where she was hovering over me, her head thrown back in pleasure as her breasts bounced with our movements.

Stumbling towards the bed in my drunkenness and the hazy memories of my dream self's sex life, I collapsed face down into the giant bed, succumbing easily to darkness.

"_Do not hide from me, love," I murmur, dragging my nose along her jaw. _

_Her soft whimpers make me groan against the delicate flesh of her neck. My hands can't help but roam her porcelain skin, unmarred despite being a servant in our household. My thigh is propped between her legs and my manhood is pressing impatiently against her hip. As I pull back, I am met with the brown eyes that I have loved for all time, and her reddish hair that almost matches my own fanned out on the pillow behind her. _

"_Do you know how much I adore you?" I whisper, trailing a finger down her cheek, "You're my life."_

_She reaches up and cups my cheek with her hand._

"_You're mine as well," She bit her lip as her eyes watered._

"_Promise you'll never leave me Anthony."_

_I lean forward and press a kiss to both her eyes before leaning back and taking her left hand in my own. I place a kiss in her palm and turn it over to place a kiss on the delicate gold band that rests on her third finger._

"_Never my love. You are my wife now. I'm yours forever my darling Marie."_

_She leans up and presses her lips against my own. I break away and trail my lips down her jaw and neck, which I discovered a while back that she enjoyed. _

"_Forever…" Marie breathes out, her pants becoming heavier, "Make me yours forever."_

_My lips were confident as they trailed over her skin, but the rest of my body trembled. Seeing as there were four people in the world who knew I married Marie (my father not being one of them), no one had given me the information I needed to perform on my wedding night. Much to Marie's protests, I never let us get that far until we were married._

_I shift between her legs and moan as she gasps when my erect manhood brushes against her female parts. Marie rests her hands on my shoulders and I can feel her body shaking as well._

"_Are you all right my love?" _

_Marie bites her lip and nods. I feel my manhood throb in response._

"_Do not be afraid," I lean down and whisper against her lips, "I'm with you. Always."_

_As I press my lips against hers, I shift so that I can feel the wet heat between her legs. Marie whimpers against my mouth as I moan in return. I can feel her entrance and before I can control my body I thrust forward breaking past her maidenhead. The tight embrace and heat makes me want to moan loudly, but I don't get the chance, as I'm startled by Marie's loud cries and her nails digging into my skin. _

"_Anthony!" She screams. _

_I panic as I look at her face and see the tears begin to spill down her cheeks. I begin to move but she cries out again, digging her nails deeper into my flesh. The scent of blood meets my nose and I can't take it._

"_Marie, what is it?" I ask frantically, moving back._

"_Stop!" She cries out, "It hurts!"_

"_Please…let me move…" I plead, unwilling to see her tears._

"_No!" She whimpers, "No, Anthony please…it…it's supposed to get better…just…wait…"_

_My body freezes, and my body feels as if it's on fire, my blood boiling for the inside. Her womanhood feels like the most pleasurable of experiences and I want to move so badly. My mind also begins to wonder how Marie knew it was supposed to get better. My face must've shown my wondering because Marie reassures me of her sources._

"_Some of the…the other servants, they…they talk and…and told me about their…first time," Marie pants out, her face still wincing with every breath._

"_Are you certain love?" The strain was evident in my voice. _

_Her hips flex minimally in response and I sound like some feral beast as her movements make me want to react wildly._

"_Marie!"_

"_It…it feels better…" She whispers, a brilliant blush spreading across her face and down to her glorious breasts, "Please Anthony…"_

_She moves again and I feel like I am going even deeper inside her. _

"_Marie…" I try to protest again._

"_Please Anthony…please…" she reaches up and presses her lips against the corner of my mouth. I find I cannot deny my love a thing and I slowly ease out of her, and groan as I push back in. Marie makes tiny mewls and whimpers as I find a rhythm but already feel the tightening in my nether regions that I have become familiar with from my own hand and once from Marie's. _

"_Marie," I moan, "I-"_

_I don't get to finish as Marie slips a hand between us and down her stomach._

"_What are you…" I moan, my hips thrusting faster, "What you…doing?"_

"_Trust me…" Marie panted._

_Her fingertips come to where we are joined and brush against the base of me, causing me to cry out. Her fingers begin to work against the skin where we are joined and her back bows, pushing her breasts into my chest. Her fingers rub furiously and we both cry each other's names loudly. My hips thrust forward in earnest and soon it became too much._

"_OH! Edward! Edward!" Marie screams._

"_UH! Marie! Oh Christ!" I moan in return, my body ceasing as pleasure courses through my body, seemingly shattering every part of me._

"_Edward…oh Edward…" She sighs while I continue to push my needy hips into hers. _

"Uhhhh…Marie…Marie…"

Wetness pooled against my skin and the sheets and I popped my eyes open. I groaned against the luxurious sheets that lay on the king sized bed that I didn't want. I buried my face against the pillow and screamed. My head throbbed from the alcohol and my body ached from humping the bed. In my drunken and post-orgasmic haze, I rolled over and groaned as the air hit my sticky body.

Unwilling, even in my drunken stupor, to lie in soiled sheets and a spunk covered body, I rolled out of the bed and stumbled to the bathroom. The bathroom was more lavish than I cared for also. There was a large Jacuzzi tub and an all glass walled shower with those crazy shower heads that even shot out of the walls. Deciding that a shower would be better (and more likely not to drown me if I passed out), I stepped in, pressing random buttons to activate the shower.

The rain shower from the ceiling came on and I decided that was good enough. I leaned against the wall trying to sort out my dreams and drunken thoughts. I hadn't had that dream before, but I had been called "Anthony" by her in another dream as I fingered her. I closed my eyes, remembering the way she looked underneath me this time. Her head thrown back, her breasts pushed out. Even her tears as I took her virginity…the feeling of her around me felt so real. My hand ran down my stomach and circled around my once again hard cock.

_Only to thoughts of her. Always._

I moaned and leaned my forehead against the tiles, imagining her there with me, held up by only my body and my arms as I thrust into her against the wall. I could hear her moaning my name as she had in my dream. That was something that had never happened before. I began to thrust harder into my hand, imagining her clinging to me and screaming for me to go harder. I erupted in my hand in no time. As I caught my breath, I let the shower wash away the evidence of my activities.

I stumbled back out into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around my waist. Scowling at my bed, I headed out into the hallway. I was so unsteady on my feet I bounced back and forth between the walls like a ping-pong ball. Tripping into the office, I scooped up the unfinished bottle of vodka and collapsed on the couch in the corner. I brought the bottle back up to my lips, finishing what I had left. I hoped that for once, I wouldn't dream of Marie…or Isabel…or Belle. It was torture to want someone that I could never have.

"…alive, Carlisle?"

"Can you not hear his breaths and the beat of his heart, Esme? The boy is fine."

"He drank an entire bottle of Grey Goose, Carlisle. You aren't worried?"

"Everyone grieves differently."

I groaned loudly at the voices yelling in my ears.

"Can you guys keep it down? Christ, what time is it?"

My eyes were met with the orange-yellow light from the lamp that sat on the side table next to the couch I was still lying on. I clenched my eyes back shut as they screamed at me for opening them in the first place and my head throbbed, displeased with the fact that I was no longer alone in my wallowing. Something scratchy was rubbing against my balls and I cracked an eye open to investigate. A dark red blanket was now covering my lower half and my eyes snapped open as I realized that my boss and his wife had probably found me naked lying here passed out drunk. I groaned loudly and closed my eyes.

"Edward, are you feeling all right?"

I grunted in response.

"Well, Esme and I came over when you didn't return any of my calls."

"What time is it?" I mumbled.

"It's six fifteen."

"In the morning?" I shouted. No wonder I felt like shit.

"In the evening, Edward."

"Fuck, really?" I said as I sat up.

I instantly regretted that decision and gripped the back of the couch tightly. Jesus Christ, I slept through the entire day.

Carlisle cleared his throat, "I called earlier, hoping that you and I could talk about your first day tomorrow. You won't be meeting with any clients yet, but I wanted you to come in and work on your office, and get things organized in there."

I groaned and rubbed my eyes, "Yeah…gimme a minute and I'll be right with you."

"I'll heat you up something to eat," Esme said from somewhere near the door.

I was about to tell her not to, but then I remembered how I had treated her the night before and just let her go. Whatever would make the woman happy. Maybe it would win me points with the boss man, who I figured was probably not pleased to find his newest doctor ass naked and passed out from drinking an entire bottle of vodka.

"I will wait for you in the living room," Carlisle said before disappearing out the door.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. I swear to God, that man walks like he's gliding or something. His movements are so smooth they seem unnatural. Groaning, I stood and wrapped the blanket around my waist and staggered back to my bedroom. I closed the door and then froze, dropping the blanket.

"Fuck it all…" I muttered.

The obscenely huge bed was perfectly made and there were brand new sheets covering it. Esme must have changed them. I was making a fantastic impression on the Cullens. First, I snap at my boss' wife when she was just trying to help me out. Then they find me naked and passed out drunk. And now? They switch out my spunk covered sheets, a result of having a fucking wet dream. Fan-fucking-tastic. I slipped on a pair of boxers, sweats, and a t-shirt before throwing some water on my face.

As I glanced in the mirror, I realized I looked like shit. I couldn't remember the last time I shaved and had a thick beard going on. My eyes were bloodshot and I had dark circles underneath them. I groaned and ran my hand through my always messy hair. Great first impression, Masen.

Vowing to shave, shower, and present myself as a man of exceptional hygiene tomorrow at the hospital, I slowly walked back out to the living room and kitchen area. I could smell something that was distinctly Italian and I remembered that Esme had baked me a pan of lasagna. I found both she and Carlisle standing in the kitchen whispering quietly to each other. Carlisle's head immediately snapped towards mine, giving me a small smile.

"Have a seat, son. We'll talk after you eat."

I walked in slowly, having seat on one of the stools next to the counter.

"You two aren't going to eat anything?" I asked, as Esme placed a plate with lasagna and a salad in front of me.

"We already ate," She said, smiling at me, and then Carlisle.

I picked up my fork, but thought there was something unusual about the smile that she gave Carlisle. I felt like I was missing out on some sort of private joke between the two of them. God, I hope it wasn't something sexual. Gross. The Cullens were a really young, good-looking couple. I would say they weren't more than 35-years-old, but there was no way that I wanted to be thinking about the two of them doing anything sexual together. It was just not appropriate.

The lasagna was amazing. Like the kind of meal only a mother could make. It made me wonder why the Cullens didn't have any children. I didn't want to pry. They seemed like the perfect couple based on what I had seen. That thought turned into a scowl. People had said the same things about my parents. They were thought to be the perfect couple with the perfect, genius son. I shook my head in an attempt to clear those thoughts away.

"Are you feeling all right, Edward?" Esme asked, "Do you want something for the hang-over? Coffee? Toast? Bloody Mary? A beer? What works for you?"

I waved my hand in the air, "I'm fine."

I didn't want anyone babying me or worrying over me. Emotional ties were worthless to me. You would think I wouldn't think that as a psychiatrist. You would think that I would see the meaning and significance of emotions and relationships between different people. You would think that I would even think that they were important. There was a very small part of me that said I shouldn't be practicing and that I should be grieving and dealing with my own emotions, but it wasn't loud enough. Working and focusing on other people's problems would take up my time. I wasn't allowed emotional ties to clients and it would be just what I needed.

The old Edward carried too much. He loved too much;(,) he was completely devoted to curing his mother and pleasing his father. Great help that all did me. I was left with no one. Caring and letting people be a part of my heart only resulted in me getting hurt. Not again. That old me was dead. I left him behind in Chicago with my parents. I was here to work. That was what my life would be from now on: work. I would work as often as I could, and in the moments where I actually found myself at home alone, I would surround myself with Jim, Jack, and Jose. Maybe a little Southern Comfort.

"What did you want to talk about, Dr. Cullen?" I said calmly, settling into my part.

"Carlisle, please," he said, a slight frown wrinkling his brow, "Are you sure you want to start tomorrow?"

"Yes," I said, trying not to sound too emotionless, "I'll be fine."

"I know I don't need to tell you that coming to work in an inebriated state is grounds for automatic dismissal and you will lose your license."

"No," I shook my head, "This won't be a problem."

I watched as Carlisle sighed, and he looked at Esme. My eyes widened slightly when I noticed that she had already taken my dishes and washed them.

"Look, I get it. You're worried about me and that I haven't grieved or whatever, but I always knew that this was a possibility."

I winced slightly as I said it.

"When the woman you love more than anything is told she may only have a few months to live, you prepare for every outcome. Even the ones that won't end in your favor."

I felt my face harden as Carlisle looked at me with wide eyes and Esme gasped. Their reactions only seemed to fan the flames of grief that I had only recently contained.

"Tell me, have you ever lost the person that meant more to you than the entire world? Did you have to watch them slip away while someone promised you that they would be fine? Did you have to watch them slip away for months before hand because they were mourning the loss of someone else?"

I was shouting by the time I finished my little rant. I clenched my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose. I couldn't lose control here. This job was the only thing I had left in my life. Carlisle and Esme were silent as I got my breathing back under control.

"Look…" I sighed, "This job is the only thing I have left. You're my boss, Carlisle, and if you want me to 'deal' or 'grieve' in a different way, I'll talk to someone."

I didn't _really_ want to talk to someone about what I was feeling or what was going on, but I figured it was the professional thing to do. After all, I had already been incredibly rude to my boss' wife, been found ass naked and hung over, and shouted at said boss. If he wanted me to go through some grief counseling, I supposed I would. I just didn't know who I would work with. Even though confidentiality was like the Bible in the world of psychiatry and counseling, there weren't any other doctors in Forks that I felt comfortable revealing my past and feelings to.

"Would you be comfortable meeting with me once a week?"

I squinted my eyes, trying to get a read on whether or not there was some kind of ulterior motive here or something. I saw nothing but sincerity in Carlisle's odd, amber-colored eyes.

"Of course, it will be kept discrete and the other hospital staff need not know," Carlisle continued, giving me a small smile, "I would like for you to be comfortable here in Forks, Edward, and I would also like you to have a bright future ahead of you."

I wanted to scoff at what he was saying, but I knew he was right. Plus, it sounded like something I had heard from my mother only a few weeks ago. She wanted me to take the job offer from Carlisle. The hard façade I was trying to convince myself of was quickly fading and becoming incredibly muddled. I knew it was likely that Carlisle would not allow me to be a practicing doctor under him if I didn't have my shit together. I sighed, adding that with the fact that I had only four cases to work with as a plus. I could do this. My mind was going a mile a minute trying to make up my mind. Do I agree with Carlisle? Do I stay here? To I continue to practice?

"Thank you," I said quietly, "I…I think that would be good."

The sound of a cell phone chiming sounded in the kitchen and Esme gave a shy smile before saying, "excuse me". I heard her chuckle softly a she walked into the living room.

"All right then," Carlisle said, standing, again moving too gracefully, "Tomorrow you can come in and set up your office. Perhaps we could have a short session together? Get your mind in the right frame before you see your first client?"

I nodded, figuring Carlisle was going to say something like that. "What time should I come in?"

"Why don't you come in at nine? Most of the patients will be starting their morning activities and I don't have any sessions tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Well, then," Carlisle said, offering me his hand, "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

I took his hand, jerking a little at the now noticeably cool temperature of his skin. Carlisle noticed my reaction and the fact that I dropped his hand quickly.

"Sorry about that," he smiled, "I have bad circulation. Especially in the winter months of the year."

I just nodded, feeling that there was something off about his statement but unable to really put a finger on it. I reached and scratched the back of my neck.

"Um…please tell Esme that I said 'thank you' for all of the food and everything," I mumbled, still embarrassed about the way I had treated her and also the state they found their guest cottage in.

Carlisle smiled at me, "Of course. See you tomorrow."

I stood in the doorway of the kitchen and watched as the Cullens walked out the door. Carlisle turned back towards me as he paused at the door.

"If you're worried about running into Dr. Hale, don't bother. She resigned and has moved to a hospital in Alaska."

I could only nod. Truth be told, I wasn't sure how I would react if I had to see Dr. Rosalie Hale. Carlisle gave me a faint smile, though it seemed to be tinged with sadness. Well, I suppose the hospital wasn't thrilled about losing a supposedly great doctor. I didn't hear a car, so I figured Carlisle and Esme must've walked the path through the woods that led between our houses. I frowned. They didn't have flashlights or anything with them either. I went to the front door to see where they were going, but when I opened the door, they were out of sight, already having disappeared into the woods.

Collapsing in the armchair in the living room, I still felt as confused as ever, even though I had agreed to things about my own future. I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling like there was a whole bunch of pressure building between my eyelids. My head still ached. I made another decision then and there. I would have to limit my time spent with Jim, Jack, and Jose. And Southern Comfort. And Grey Goose. It didn't quite feel worth the current pain. I sighed, my eyelids feeling heavy.

"_Isabel_, _¿te sientes bien?"_

"_Eduardo, practicar tu Inglés por favor."_

_I smile, "Isabel…you feel…ill?"_

_I speak slowly so she understands me._

"_No, Eduardo. Estoy bien."_

_I smirk and lean down, brushing my lips against her forehead, "No quieres practicar tu Inglés?"_

"_Bah! ¡Cállate!" she mumbles, pushing my shoulder._

_I stroke her cheek with the back of my hand, my face growing serious._

"_Te amo. Tú eres mi vida," I whisper._

"_I love you," She whispers back, reaching up and stroking my cheek._

_Her accent is heavy, but I hear her words in English and it makes me long to hear more._

"_More, por favor, I want to hear more," I say, lying down at her side on our small bed._

"_Eres un tonto…" She chuckles and rolls her eyes at me._

"_Por favor, mi amor," I murmur against her ear. I feel her shudder against me and I pull her closer to me. _

"_I made…bread…this…morning," She finally says, her brow bunches up as she speaks. I smile and run my hands through her hair. Father Carlos at our church had learned to speak English as a child and had taught me. I, in turn, was teaching Isabel. I pressed a kiss to her forehead._

"_Tell me more, Isabel."_

"_I get…milk…from Maria…" I chuckled as she mentioned our cow. She was named "Maria" because her milk gave Bella and I life, "Oh! And I get…I get…"_

_She lets out a frustrated sigh, "Huevos! ¿Cómo se dice, 'huevos', en Inglés?"_

_I can't help but laugh. She is so adorable with her brows all furrowed in concentration as she tries to remember the word, "eggs". _

"_Eggs," I say, smiling, "La palabra es 'eggs'."_

"_Eh-guhs," Isabel tries out, "Eh-guhs…"_

_I smile and press a kiss to the tip of her nose, "Muy bien, mi esposa."_

_Isabel smiles and crawls closer to me, laying her head on my chest. _

"_Te amo, mi esposo. Lo siento he estado enferma."_

"_Preferiría usted esté saludable," I whisper into her hair. _

_While part of me was hoping to consummate our marriage sometime in the near future, the greater part of me wanted her to be healthy when we did so. The illness seemed to take a hold of her after our wedding. I ignored those who said this was a bad omen. I was married to my Isabel. There was nothing else that mattered to me. Except for her health._

"_Santiago…also…came to the house," Isabel says slowly, and I know it is to gauge my mood. I can't help but tense as she says his name. Santiago was of a rich family, and he had also tried to court Isabel. By the grace of God, and her father, she married me instead. I did not like Santiago in the slightest. Everyone knew that he was a violent man who enjoyed the drink far more than he should._

"_¿Te duele?" I nearly growl._

_Isabel sighs, "No, pero me daba miedo. Tenía los perros conmigo."_

_The dogs. While that didn't make me feel completely better, I was calmer. Antonio and Lobo were two dogs that we had found as puppies, abandoned outside of my home. Isabel couldn't part with them, and they came to live with us after we were married. I was pretty sure they were part wolf. Hence we named the black one "Lobo" and the grey one, "Antonio."_

_I reach down and cup her chin, pulling her face up so I can see her eyes. Her dark brown eyes which are only a shade lighter than her dark hair._

"_Santiago will never hurt you," I say firmly, making sure she believes._

_She nods and I press my lips to hers. So long as I lived, and maybe even after that, Santiago would never hurt my Isabel. _

I woke with a start, a cool breeze rushing past, stirring me from my dream. I rub my eyes, groaning as my dick presses uncomfortably against my jeans. I notice that the maroon blanket that had been resting on the back of my chair was now wrapped around my body. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes again. I must have gotten restless during my dream. Though that was relatively tame compared to the others that involved Isabel. I groaned and stood gingerly, the problem down south in my pants not helping. I glared at the bulge as I began my trek back to my bedroom, turning off lights as I went.

"Seriously?" I nearly shouted, "There was nothing remotely sexual in that dream!"

When I dreamed of the girl named Isabel, I was always floored that I knew and understood Spanish. I had taken Italian when I was doing my studies to prepare for med school, though I supposed the two languages were similar enough. Isabel, looked just like Marie and Belle. The only difference in all of them was the color of their hair. Isabel's hair was so dark it was almost a raven color. Marie's hair was a red similar to my own, and Belle's hair was a honey blond color. The eyes though…the eyes were always the same. The same pair of chocolate brown eyes that seemed to know the secrets of the world.

I looked at the freshly made bed and grimaced. I decided to take a long shower, complete with a very thorough solo session and then perhaps knock myself out with some Valium. I couldn't afford to change the sheets again tomorrow.

_**APOV**_

"Good lord! I don't think I've ever met someone so indecisive in my life!"

"Darlin', have any of the visions changed?"

I growled and rubbed my temples, "They're changing so rapidly that I can't get a lock on any one in particular. The only constant one is Bella and I, and she's a vampire. I don't get it though…it's Edward's decisions I'm watching. I still can't see anything of him. It's all going too fast."

I was practically at my wits end. I whipped out the cell phone I had hidden in the wall of my room and sent a text to Esme. I knew she and Carlisle had gone over to the cottage when I had a vision of Edward drinking himself into a near coma. Of course those visions unfortunately included him molesting his poor bed, but I digress.

"_Edward needs to make up his mind already! This is hurting my brain!"_

"Who'd you just text?" Emmett asked.

He, Jasper, and I were all in the same wing of the hospital. Thick, padding lined the walls of our rooms, but that didn't affect out vampire hearing one bit. When you're in the looney bin, and trying to stay here, it probably helped that the three of us looked like we were talking to ourselves.

I didn't remember my human life, but Carlisle was pretty certain that I had been in an insane asylum. Through the wonders of the Internet, we discovered that "Mary Alice Brandon" was actually deceased, but Carlisle discovered that my family had been relatively well off, and having a daughter in an insane asylum would not have looked good, so they likely faked my death. The only remaining relative I had was a niece who still lived in Biloxi, but she was too young to remember me, and too old to remember anything else.

"Esme," I sighed, "She and Carlisle are with Edward. Carlisle is trying to convince him to see him for grief counseling. Edward's mind is all over the place. He's thinking about way too many things for a human."

Jasper chuckled from his room, "I guess that makes him a good psychiatrist. Able to think about multiple things at a time. He's going to have a field day trying to think of all the different things he could diagnose us as."

"I just wish he would make a- Oh!"

"What?" Emmett says, his voice sounding excited. I knew he was wondering about everything with Edward and this Isabella, but he was also waiting for any visions I might have about Rosalie.

"He's agreed to meet with Carlisle for a session once a week."

"_Carlisle, I…" Edward chuckled darkly and pulled at his hair, "Carlisle, I don't know if I can work with Isabella Swan anymore."_

"_Oh?" Carlisle asks from his seat behind his desk, "Why is that?"_

_Edward begins to pace and looks frustrated, "She knows things! Things she can't possibly know!"_

_Carlisle's brows furrow, "What kinds of things, Edward?"_

"_She knows!" Edward shouts again, "She knows about Isabel, and Marie, and Belle!"_

"_Who are they, Edward?" Carlisle looks concerned._

"_They're her."_

I gasp loudly.

"What is it?" Jasper asks, "What did you see?"

"I'm not sure…" I trail off.

"Is the doc getting it on with his bed again?" Emmett chuckled.

"Emmett!" I snap, "I never should have told you about that…"

"Sorry, sorry…what happened, shorty?"

Jasper growled, never quite comfortable with Emmett's nicknames for me.

"Jazz…" I said softly, "It's okay."

It's been hard the past few days, being unable to see each other at night and having to be subdued during the day. Carlisle was working out a schedule and a plan to make it easier for us to get around at night when we were supposed to be in our cells. We had to not only figure out what Edward and Isabella meant in the greater scheme of things, but we also had to search for clues about the three nomads that I had visions of. From what I could see, they were still on the outskirts of Seattle, but moving closer down into the city.

"The vision was of a session between Carlisle and Edward. I think it must be a while from now because Edward's hair is pretty long. It's…" I swallow heavily, having just made the connection myself, "It's the length it is when we're in the ballet studio."

"What happens in the vision?" Jasper asks, his voice eager and his mind ready to start making plans.

"He's talking about Isabella. He doesn't know if he can work with her anymore," I sigh, seeing that everything in the ballet studio vision is the same and that Bella and I are still vampire BFFs. "He starts talking about people named Isabel, Marie, and Belle. He says they're all Isabella."

"What does _that_ mean?" Emmett asks, just as confused as I am.

"I'm not sure…but the visions of the ballet studio and vampire Bella are remaining. I'm not sure what is the one decision that is making them hold, but nothing's changing there. We're still fighting the nomads, and I still can't see what happens to Edward."

Neither Emmett or Jasper says anything for a few minutes. I'm actually surprised that Jasper hasn't said anything for a while.

"Jasper?" I asked, wondering what he was thinking.

"Hm?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"I…I was just thinking about a memory from my human life."

"Dude, you still remember stuff like that?" Emmett asks.

"Don't you?" Jasper shoots back. We all knew Emmett actually had some of the clearest memories of being human out of all of us besides Carlisle. He actually had memories of being a child. Esme and Rosalie remembered most of their human lives, but only a few years before they were changed.

"Hey man, I meant nothing by that and you know it."

Jasper sighed, "Yeah…sorry about that."

"What did you remember, Jazzy?" I ask. I can't help but sound excited. I remembered nothing of my human life, and I always enjoyed hearing the memories of others.

"The girl who's coming tomorrow? Her last name is Swan right? Her name is Isabella Swan?"

"Yeah," I nod, "Dark brown eyes, mahogany hair, and really pale skin."

"Hmmm…" Jasper hummed, "I…I had neighbors in Texas when I was growing up. I swear the last name was Swan. I think there were a brother and sister. They were blond though."

"You don't remember their names?" I ask.

Jasper sighed, "I remember the brother. I can see him sitting next to me on his horse. We were ambushed, and he got shot right in front of me."

"I'm sorry, Jasper," I said quietly, "Was he a good friend?"

"I think so. His name was Jacob."

"See, man? You can remember things about your human life when you want to," Emmett said, encouragingly.

"Well," Jasper sighed, "I'm going to have to. It's the story I'm telling Dr. Masen when I meet with him."

"Man…he's not going to know what to do with the three of us," Emmett chuckled. Jasper joined in, and I smiled, though it was only half-heartedly.

After the vision I had of Edward and Carlisle discussing Isabella, I was starting to think that Emmett, Jasper, and I were going to be the least of Dr. Masen's problems.

**Well? Yes? No? Poor Edward right? Well, he's going to meet Mr. McCarty next chapter…we'll see how that goes. And the Spanish...nothing too important there...and forgive me, it's been years since I took a class. Hopefully it all came out okay. If you want to know what they said, I'll tell you. Please let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? :-) **


	4. Ch 3:  Crawling

**Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters**

**A/N: Thank you for reading & reviewing! Apologies for anyone who has been waiting. Real life and all…anyway, onward!**

**Ladies (and maybe gents), I have a beta. It might not say "beta" on her profile, but eternally_addicted is the best around. Thank you much EA! :-) **

**The beginning of the next 4 chapters will be written differently. It's in the format for how I really write case studies for clients. Just wanted to try something new.**

**And my dear friend teamswitzerlandmom has started a fantastic website where she reviews and recs different fics. She has put a lot of hard work into designing the site and I think you all should check it out: http:/twilightfictionaddiction(dot)webs(dot)com/**

_**Crawling in my skin**_

_**These wounds they will not heal**_

_**Fear is how I fall**_

_**Confusing what is real**_

_**-Linkin Park, "Crawling"**_

Chapter 3: Crawling

**Name: **McCarty, Emmett

**Identifying data: **Emmett is a 20 year old Caucasian male born and raised in Tennessee to a lower class family. He has no family to speak of, all deceased. Transferred from medical facility in Denali, Alaska. Treated by a Dr. Kate Denali using shock therapy methods.

**Appearance: **Emmett is dressed in the hospital issue attire. He appears well groomed with short hair and is clean. He has no visible scars, but he is constantly bouncing his leg. He is of a very large build, around 6'3" and muscular.

**Presenting problem: **Cannot sleep because he believes that there are bears coming to kill him.

_Developmental History_

**Pregnancy/Infancy: **Mother experienced a normal pregnancy and all developmental milestones were met.

**Elementary school: **Emmett attended school and also helped work on his family's farm. He lived with his parents and two sisters.

**Middle school: **While camping in the woods with his family, a bear attacked the camp site. Father and sisters were mauled to death. Emmett escaped, carrying his wounded mother to the car and driving to the hospital. Emmett was 12-years-old. Placed in the foster care system due to the lack of family, but ran away.

**High School: **Emmett remained on the run from the age of 12. Does not mention much of his life after running away from the foster home. Managed to stay alive by stealing, and never remained in one place for long because he believed the bears would find him. From Tennessee, made his way all the way to Denali, Alaska by the age of 17. Believed that he had to get away from the bears that were chasing him and he snuck onto a cargo plane.

**College/Adulthood: **Emmett was institutionalized at the age of 18 when he was arrested for public exposure at the Denali National Park. Was found naked and fighting a large boulder formation with a stick. Emmett believed he was being attacked by a bear. Was treated for two years using shock therapy.

**Current: **Emmett still believes that there are bears coming after him, and this is what keeps him up at night. While his thoughts are delusional, he no longer has delusional actions, and is focused on the things in front of him. He is lucid and appears to be well educated for a runaway. No more manic episodes and remains calm when talking about the bears, but still believes that they are after him.

_Mental Status_

**Verbal: **Speaks clearly and evenly, in a strong and loud voice

**Non-Verbal: **Constantly shakes his leg and cracks his knuckles.

**Intelligence: **Though he is a runaway and never finished school, displays an above average intelligence.

**Mood: **Attentive and outgoing, very outspoken

**Perception: **Poor, believes the bears are still after him

**Sensorium: **Alert and focused on the counselor

**Memory: **Good, though won't discuss certain years of his life

**Thought Content: **Delusional thoughts

**Thought Process: **Mostly irrational with the belief of the bears

**Judgment: **Poor

**Insight: **Poor, though clearly high functioning

**Eating: **Special diet, Dr. Denali notes suspicions of bulimia despite his large frame. Used to throw up after meals in Alaska.

**Sleeping: **Poor, suffers from insomnia

**Sexual Patterns: **Healthy libido

**Drugs/Alcohol: **Neither

_Multiaxial Assessment _

**Axis I: **309.81 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

307.42 Primary Insomnia

295.30 Paranoid Type of Schizophrenia

**Axis II: ** 301.0 Paranoid Personality Disorder

**Axis III: **None

**Axis IV: **All family members deceased

Family members killed in front of him

Living alone in the forest

**Axis V: **GAF= 48

_Differential Assessment: It is evident that Emmett's decline stems from the bear attack that he witnessed as an adolescent. PTSD likely grew and caused the __onset of __the Schizophrenia. The insomnia is also related to both. Also diagnosed with Paranoid Personality Disorder. Emmett, though calm and highly intelligent, is unsettled at times and mentions "the bears" quite often. Physically, he checks out healthy, save for Dr. Denali's suspicions of an eating disorder. Emmett has been monitored here and eats all of his specialized meals. _

_Axis IV is where the problems have likely stemmed from. No other obvious experiences. Emmett has no living family members and thus no support system, he hasn't for a long time. Also the attack alone is traumatizing, but seeing his family killed in front of him and attempting to drive and save his mother adds another component to the PTSD diagnosis. No note of how long Emmett was possibly living in the forest alone._

_While Emmett is a highly functioning individual (as evident from speaking with him), he is also clearly, quite a disturbed young man. Thus, the GAF score of 48. He is smart and capable, but his thought process is completely irrational. _

_*Will continue to meet, and will re-assess in one month's time. _

I sighed and sat back, rubbing my eyes. My own writing made me cringe: _"a highly functioning individual, he is also clearly, quite a disturbed young man."_ I felt like the pot calling the kettle black. It was becoming more and more obvious that I had quite a few of my own disturbances going on in my head. I needed a drink. This Emmett McCarty had only been my first patient, and I ended up taking all day with him. From what I had been told by Dr. Cullen, he was the easiest one.

"Great…" I muttered, saving what I had written and shutting down my computer.

Emmett McCarty honestly scarred the crap out of me when they first brought him in the room. For one, he is much bigger than I am, both in height and musculature, and two, he thinks there are bears constantly out to get him. He was found fighting a boulder with a stick for Christ's sake. I held my ground, offering him a firm handshake and a slight smile. He returned both with a, "What's up Doc?" and his smile spread into a grin at his clever remark. As if I hadn't had Bugs Bunny's famous line directed at me before.

"_Have a seat, Emmett," I replied, gesturing to the chair across from mine. There was a small coffee table between us, and Emmett plopped down into the chair._

"_Thanks, Doc," Emmett grinned, "I don't have to call you 'Dr. Masen' do I? Can I call you 'Masen'? Or 'Eddie'? Can I call you 'Eddie'?" _

_I kept my face neutral as Emmett wiggled his eyebrows at me. God, this guy was seriously like a child. Though it wasn't surprising that he would act that way, considering the past he had. I watched as Emmett chuckled and muttered something under his breath. This was bound to be an interesting conversation._

"_Dr. Masen or…Doc work fine."_

"_Don't like being called 'Eddie' eh, Doc?"_

"_No," I replied shortly. I took out my notebook and pen, "Now, Emmett, you know that I am Dr. Masen-"_

"_Yeah, you're new here."_

_I nodded, "I am…and I'm told you are as well."_

_Emmett nodded and just grinned, his right leg bouncing non-stop. _

"_Well, Emmett, I'm here to talk, see how you're adjusting, and see if there is anything I can do to help you."_

"_Sounds good, Doc."_

_I sighed internally. I wasn't particularly fond of being called, "Doc" either, but anything was better than being called, "Eddie". _

"_How have you been liking Forks, Emmett?"_

"_Meh…" He shrugged, "Don't get to see much outside the hospital, Dr. Masen."_

_Huh…now he's calling me Dr. Masen. I watched as he muttered under his breath again. I decided to try another approach._

"_How are you liking the hospital? Is the staff treating you well?"_

"_Yeah…It's great!"_

_My eyes narrowed as he mimicked Tony the Tiger's infamous line perfectly. Not what I expected from a man who had been found in the woods without a stitch of clothing on._

"_Yes, well," I nodded, "Could you tell me more? What makes it so great here?"_

_Emmett's head snapped up quickly and his face was suddenly fearful._

"_It keeps me safe from the bears…but they'll get it. We have to bear-proof the hospital."_

_Oh boy…_

Honestly, the man was simply fascinating. He truly believed that there were bears that were out to get him and even within the concrete confines of the hospital, he believed that the bears would still find a way to get him. He had gone on for eight years living in fears of these mammals. It made me wonder if the two years he spent in Denali actually did any good, or they just were more detrimental. _Seriously? Shock therapy? Who still did that?_

I wandered out of my office and into the kitchen. I had been trying to keep the house neat in the past few days after I had been found in my drunken state by Carlisle and Esme. I certainly didn't attempt to drink an entire bottle of alcohol again, but I had enough to numb the pain. It was a good thing that there appeared to be a lot of liquor stores here in Forks. I was starting to guess that the people had nothing better to do when it rained but to drink. Esme had once again made me some pasta dish so I heated up a bit of that eat with my glass of vodka. It was a pity that I had never bothered to learn any of my mother's recipes. She had been a fantastic cook. I shook my head as I thought of my mother. Even if I had learned her recipes, a part of me was pretty sure that I would never have bothered to make any of them. Anything that reminded me of my mother was unwelcome these days.

A heavy sigh left my lips as I sat down on a stool in the kitchen just as heavily. I had a session with Carlisle tomorrow that I wasn't really looking forward to. How would it even work? A doctor getting help from another doctor? How would Carlisle treat our sessions? Would he evaluate me like I was evaluating my clients? Did I really have problems to be dealt with? I snorted at my last thought. _Of course_ I had problems to deal with. I was a highly functioning, disturbed individual.

In the past few days I had spent well over two hundred dollars on alcohol. I chuckled to myself. If Carlisle knew how much I was drinking, he was probably going to set up an intervention and force me into AA or something. I suppose it also didn't help that I refused to drink the cheap stuff, which also meant I was drinking the stronger stuff. If there was one thing I learned from my privileged upbringing, it was that life is too short to drink shitty alcohol. I had given up Jim, Jack, and Jose. I even gave up my Southern Comfort. Instead I was drinking Grey Goose, Patron, and Crown. My body froze at my last thought. _Life is too short. My father's life had been too short. My mother's life was too short._ I felt my breathing begin to pick up and I shot off the stool quickly, almost fumbling the bottle of Patron I had sitting on the counter. I ripped the cork off and took a swig, not even caring at how badly it burned. Anything to change my path of thoughts.

My eyes and throat were burning as I leaned against the counter and I swayed slightly. There was a small part of me that was calling out to me, trying to reason that seeing Carlisle would be a good thing, and certainly better than binge drinking myself into a coma every night. My chest ached as I thought of the dreams I had when I finally decided to pass out for the night. The girl with the beautiful brown eyes. The girl who was always beautiful, no matter the hair color or language she was speaking…she was gorgeous. I just wished she was real and that I knew who she was. While the dreams tormented me by wanting a girl I could never have, they also eased the pain of my real life. For those brief minutes of dreaming, I was happy and I was in love, in a world of bliss with my dream girl…my Isabel, my Marie, and my Belle.

I rubbed the spot over my heart, my brow furrowing. I hated that the ache seemed to grow stronger in the past few days. It started to make me wonder if I had developed a heart problem. That was the last thing I needed…though I had the brief thought that if I died, the pain would be over. I shook my head, feeling slightly ashamed at the thought. Was I thinking about dying? Was I giving up on life? No…I couldn't. My parents would be so disappointed if I gave up. I would live…even if it was only a half life all alone. I glanced at the Patron bottle. Slipping the cap back on, I decided to go with the thought that I would attempt to limit my drinking only to the weekends. Taking my warmed up food with me, I headed back into my office to reflect more on Emmett McCarty.

However, once I sat at my desk, I realized Emmett's initial case study was complete. I was going to meet with him twice a week, and observe him in the days in between. When his session was finished today, Carlisle and I accompanied the guards back to the common room where Carlisle pointed out two of my other three remaining clients to me. Carlisle said I just missed meeting Isabella, telling me that she asked to return to her room. He pointed out Jasper Platt and Mary Whitlock, who he said liked being called "Alice". They were the ones who sat with Emmett. I had watched for a few minutes as the three talked quietly amongst themselves. Watching them, it was obvious that they were all holding a conversation, leading me to believe that they were all more than likely as intelligent as Emmett had been. I hadn't been told much about my other clients, but Carlisle said they were going to be a perfect challenge for me.

I let my mind wander back towards my meeting with Carlisle tomorrow. What were we going to talk about? I knew, obviously, that my mother was going to be a topic, though I wasn't worried about Carlisle suggesting I have some sort of Oedipal complex. Yes, I loved my mother fiercely, but I didn't have "mommy issues". Anyone who had to watch their mother slip away in front of their eyes would have problems. It was not easy to watch the one you love die in front of you. My heart ached in my chest and I rubbed the spot again. I sighed, wondering how different my life would be right now had I not been so desperate for my father's praise. Would I just be like any other 25 year old? Would I just now be in med school? Would I have followed in my mother's footsteps on the piano? I sighed again, rubbing the pair of wedding rings that hung around my neck on the black chord. My parents were going to be a big issue with Carlisle…I was certain of that. Giving up on finding anything more to write about Emmett McCarty, and tired of dwelling on my session with Carlisle the next day, I made my way to the bedroom and flopped down on the bed. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep.

"_Anthony, are you sure he will help us?"_

"_Of course I am sure, Marie," I scoff, "He helped us marry did he not?"_

_Marie, my beautiful wife, blushes and bites her lip, nodding her head slightly. I reach out and wrap my arms around her waist before placing a soft kiss on her forehead._

"_Then fear not, love. He will help us now."_

"_I can't help being scared," Marie says softly, "Where will we go? How will we live?"_

_I cup her face and pull her chin up so she is looking me in the eyes._

"_It matters not to me…as long as I am with you."_

_Marie opens her mouth to protest, but the carriage comes to a stop._

"_Come, my love, we are here."_

_After helping Marie down and out of the carriage, our driver, Alexander, says he will wait around the corner for us to be done. He was one of the few who knew of the marriage between Marie and myself. _

"_You are certain his father is not here?" Marie asks as we come to the front door of a rather large home._

"_He assured me that only he would be present in the household. His parents are away and he does not like their servants to dote on him when it is just he at home."_

"_All right," Marie says, biting her lip again. I raise my hand and carefully pull her bottom lip from between her teeth._

"_I love you, Marie."_

_Marie gives me a small, yet glorious smile, "I love you too, Anthony."_

_I knock on the door and mere seconds later, it is answered, not by a servant, but by the man himself._

"_Anthony, Marie…welcome."_

"_It is a pleasure to see you again, Carlisle," I say, entering past him and into the foyer. Marie gives him a small curtsey and Carlisle gives a small bow in return. His blond hair looked practically white in the sunlight that came in the door, and his blue eyes looked happy. I knew he was happy for Marie and me. Carlisle was not much older than us, but his father kept him busy, hunting the blood drinking demons that had been said to be stalking the streets of London. Hence, Carlisle had not had the time to call upon any women or fall in love. I felt bad for him. He was a good man. _

"_Mrs. Masen," he says softly, in the event that there are ears listening on the streets outside. Marie flushes and follows me further into the house. She was not used to being treated with such respect. _

_Carlisle shows us to a sitting room. A tray of tea and biscuits sits on a table, no doubt prepared by Carlisle himself. There was not a sound in the house that gave way to the idea of another person being present besides the three of us. Marie and I sit on a lovely green and gold couch as Carlisle sits in the matching armchair._

_When he looks up at me, I gasp. His eyes are no longer blue…but now a strange golden, amber color._

"_So Edward, how are you feeling?"_

I woke with a start, yelling into the darkness. My breaths were coming heavily and I quickly scrubbed a hand across my face. There was no way…no way…I shook my head back and forth. Now I knew that my subconscious was really working overtime in my sleep. It had to be. Why else would someone I actually know, finally slip into one of my mysterious dreams? My real life colliding with my dreams…that had to be all they were…just dreams. I hated that they felt like memories. There was nothing that explained why I could speak and understand Spanish in my dreams, or why the same girl I didn't know starred in all of them. Carlisle popping up in this dream just made me even more confused.

The next morning, I was wishing that I could just carry the coffee pot around with me. Better yet, just have an IV put in my vein and coffee pumped into my body. Oh how I wish that could've worked. I felt dead on my feet. Last night, every time I fell back asleep, I was met with another dream with Carlisle in it. He still called me Anthony, and he spoke with an English accent…one that the real Carlisle didn't seem to have. His eyes were also blue instead of the strange amber color they were in real life. I sighed as I approached his office door with my coffee cup in hand. Hopefully Carlisle wasn't one of those guys who were big into dream interpretation. I knocked and soon found him opening the door and greeting me.

"Ah, Edward, welcome."

He held the door open wider and gestured for me to come in. I shook my head and closed my eyes. I could've sworn he sounded slightly British just then…and his eyes flashed something familiar. I froze when I entered his office. There sitting to the left of his desk was an armchair and couch. They were both green and gold and matching. I might've gasped softly and closed my eyes again, shaking my head back and forth.

"Are you all right, Edward?"

"Fine…" I said, my voice coming out roughly, "Just…tired."

"I see," Carlisle said as he glided past me, "Can I get you a bottle of water before we start?"

I watched as Carlisle walked past the couch and armchair, but I couldn't take my eyes off the furniture. They were the exact same ones from my dream…I was sure of it. I could feel my legs shaking slightly as I walked towards the couch and sat down. My body jerked as I sat down and I could've sworn I could hear Marie's voice whispering in my ear.

"_Remember, Anthony…"_

I clenched my eyes shut. _No, no, no…not now…_

"Are you feeling okay, Edward?"

When I opened my eyes, Carlisle was standing in front of me holding a bottle of water out to me. I took it and opened it, drinking greedily from it. This was the first time I had ever heard Marie or any of their voices in my head during the day. I sighed heavily and ran a hand through my hair. I had to get myself under control.

"Better," I paused to clear my voice, "I feel better now."

Carlisle nodded and took a seat in the armchair, much like he had in my dream. Only now he was wearing a pale blue shirt with a silver tie underneath his white lab coat. It was a far cry from the clothing he was wearing in my dream, the attire of a past, long ago in London, attire that he couldn't have possibly worn himself. I returned my eyes to the floor.

"So," Carlisle started, "I know you don't need me to give the speech about confidentiality? Or that anything that you tell me that threatens harm towards yourself or to others must be reported?"

"No," I said quietly.

"All right," Carlisle nodded. There was a pause for a few minutes and I took another sip of my water.

"How was your night? You said you didn't sleep well."

I took a deep breath. _Wonderful…he might be one of those dream people_

"I was thinking a lot."

"Thinking about what? Work?"

I nodded, deciding to just go with that. "Yeah…I finished Emmett's case study. I was just thinking about what we would talk about during our next session and how he interacts with the other patients."

When I looked up, Carlisle was looking straight at me, and I was positive that he knew I was lying. It was written all over his face. Carlisle looked down and to the side, his lips curving up slightly…like he was listening to something someone was whispering in his ear. It was then that I noticed he wasn't taking any notes or anything either.

"Did you do anything else last night? Besides work on your cases?"

I shrugged, "Ate some dinner and went to bed."

"Did you have anything to drink?"

I sighed. Of course my alcohol consumption was going to come up.

"I did…but I'm trying to cut back and limit myself."

"That's good, Edward," Carlisle smiled, "Is there any particular…event that made you come to this decision?"

He looked at me like he knew. Like he knew that it was thoughts of my parents and the ache in my chest that had been getting worse, that made my decision to limit the drinking. Did I want to open that can of worms? One that would inevitably lead to a discussion about my parents? I sighed. It _was_ better than having to talk about my literal dream girl.

"Life is short," I shrugged.

Carlisle nodded, and I was relieved to not see pity in his eyes. That was what I hated most. People telling me that they were sorry or that they knew what I was feeling. There was no way they could know what I was feeling. Was their father slaughtered? Did they have to watch their mother begin to wither away even before a disease started to ravage her body? Did they have to watch their mother, the only family they had left, waste away? No…there was no one who knew what I was feeling because no one else had gone through it. No one else bore that pain with me.

"So you've decided to embrace what life has to offer then?" Carlisle said, the pity gone from his eyes and his tone different.

I sighed. Was that really what I decided? I wanted to work so I wouldn't have to think about my parents…but was that a life decision? Was that my long term plan? Did I have a plan? I decided to cut back on the drinking…so I suppose that meant that I wanted to live right?

"I don't know," I sighed, "I guess I do. I want to keep working, I'm cutting back on my drinking…"

"Are there other things you want to do, Edward? Other interests?"

I looked out his window and sighed. I seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. What other interests did I have? What else was there? For so long it had just been academics and being as smart as possible, anything I could do to please my father. After that it had been looking after my mother. I suppose there was always music…and I did work out as often as I could.

"I used to play the piano," I said quietly, "I work out when I have time."

"That's good," Carlisle said, "You go running on the paths behind the cottage? Near the river?"

I nodded.

"You know, Esme and I have a baby grand in the main house that we don't play. We could have it-"

"No!" I shouted quickly. I wasn't ready to play the piano again. It would remind me too much of my mother.

"Because of your mother," Carlisle said quietly.

I nodded.

"Did you ever consider that the piano may help you grieve?"

My head snapped up.

"No."

"Some people find that doing the activities that remind them of their lost loved ones helps them to find comfort in their absence."

It made sense. I had also heard of clients telling me similar things. A man who took up surfing because it reminded him of his father. A woman who learned to cook because her mother had loved to. A boy who learned to play the piano because it reminded him of his older sister. Would it help me to grieve?

"I'll…I'll think about it."

"I'll speak with Esme. We can have it moved over whenever you would like, or you can come to the main house any time you'd like."

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"Might I suggest something?" Carlisle asked.

I nodded and gestured for him to continue.

"I can already guess that you know what I am going to try and get you to talk about it here. You've done this for other clients before. I hope that you will not bottle your grief up inside and I hope that you will share with me, or that you will partake in other activities such as the piano or running."

I nodded.

"Perhaps, you can make running a daily activity? Something you do in the morning before you come in to the hospital?"

I had to admit, I did like the idea of that. If I wasn't drinking myself into a stupor anymore, I needed another way to clear my head, and running always seemed to clear my mind and let me just think and be in my own zone.

"I like that suggestion," I answered quietly.

"Good," Carlisle smiled, "We'll go slow with our sessions. It will be different because you have been on the other side of the couch so to speak. I feel like the plan to run in the mornings and play the piano again are both good starts. Before we go, is there anything that you want to talk about in particular?"

I did not want to talk about my dreams that's for sure. Carlisle was looking at me like he was just waiting for me to bring them up. I shook my head. Carlisle nodded, though I could've sworn he looked disappointed. The look was gone before I could check again.

"All right then, Edward. We'll meet again in two days?"

"Sure," I nodded. Carlisle extended his hand to me and I shook it, again startled by the cold touch of his skin. My brows furrowed.

"You should get that circulation problem checked out."

Carlisle's eyes widened and then he chuckled, "Yes, well…it's the worst in the morning and the evenings."

I just nodded and turned to leave. There on the wall next to the door was a painting of a waterfront and buildings. It had to be somewhere in Europe. When I looked closer, I saw that written in the lower right corner it said, "London, 1664." My brows furrowed. On the opposite wall, there was a picture of London that was obviously taken recently. In the corner it said, "London, 2008."

"Do you have a thing for London?" I blurted out.

I heard Carlisle chuckle behind me, and soon found him standing next to me.

"I was born there," he replied simply.

"But you have no accent," I said, slightly shocked.

"I've lived in America for a long time," He said, a small smile on his lips.

I nodded, "Have you been back?"

Carlisle shook his head, "I've been pretty busy stateside."

"Maybe it's time for a vacation."

"Maybe," Carlisle said, just as his phone rang. "Excuse me, Edward. I'll see you later."

As I walked out of the door, I wondered briefly. Carlisle Cullen was born in London? I hadn't known that before my dream last night. Was it just coincidence that I had a dream about my British self, Anthony, and that Carlisle had been in the dream as well? My dreams often felt like they were more like memories, but there was no way that was true. I dreamed of eras long gone, and there was no way Carlisle could be a part of a memory when I had just met the man. I shook my head as I walked towards my office. I decided that on a subconscious level, I must've already known that Carlisle was born in London. He must've mentioned it to me before. Yes…that would explain why he popped up in my dream like that.

The rest of my day was spent looking of the file of my client I was meeting with tomorrow: Jasper Platt. On paper, he was already going to be more of a challenge than Emmett. I decided to go and observe them in the common room. As I was walking down the corridor, I heard a loud commotion coming from the common room. Guards were rushing in and I saw Carlisle come running as well. When I got in there, I was surprised to see Emmett holding back an absolutely livid Jasper. Alice was holding a girl with long mahogany colored hair in her arms, and she appeared to be crying against Alice's shoulder. I wonder briefly for a second if that was Isabella. I didn't have time to wonder any longer because Jasper was getting worse.

"YOU BASTARD!" He screamed. I looked to see where his gaze was targeted and saw Carlisle and another guard attending to a man on the ground holding his arm.

"That crazy fucker broke my arm!" The man on the ground wailed.

I recognized him: Ryan Kingston. Carlisle was working with him. To be honest I was surprised he was even in the common room. As I understood it, he was in here for raping a woman down in Port Angeles, but had been wanted in La Push, Tacoma, and Seattle. What the hell was he doing in the common room when there were women around? Suddenly, I was feeling livid.

"Get all the patients back to their rooms!" Carlisle shouted, "Edward! Come assist me please!"

I snapped into action and went to Carlisle's side. I held Kingston where Carlisle instructed, though I really wanted to snap his other arm as Carlisle examined it, and explained to Kingston who I was. I saw two beefy guards relinquish Emmett of his hold on Jasper, who continued to shout, but didn't struggle.

"Have men forgotten their manners in this futuristic hell?" Jasper shouted, "Pardon my language, ladies, but you don't ever touch a woman against her will! You sick fucker!"

My eyes went wide and then went back to Alice and the girl who had to be Isabella. I still couldn't see her face, but suddenly it all made sense to me. That bastard had put tried to put a hand on Isabella, and Jasper defended her. He might be a nutcase, but Jasper Platt was a gentleman.

"Edward!" Carlisle called, making me focus again. I helped him put a temporary splint on Kingston's arm so that we could get him down to the ER, but by the time I looked up, all the other patients had been returned to their rooms and it was just Carlisle, Kingston, three guards, and myself. Two of the guards remained by Kingston's side as Carlisle began to question him.

"Who brought you into the common room, Ryan?" Carlisle asked.

"She told me I could come," Ryan replied, looking confused, "The nurse with the flame colored hair."

I saw Carlisle's calm façade temporarily slip and I felt my own brows furrow. Nurse with flame colored hair? There was only one female nurse on our staff, and she was a blond woman named Katherine.

"This nurse," Carlisle paused, "Did she tell you her name?"

"No," Ryan shook his head, "She said the little one would see me, but she promised that she would come back to me and see me again."

"Did she do anything else last night? When she came to visit you?" Carlisle asked, his face serious.

"No…she just visited and said I was not allowed to leave my room until the morning common room time, and that's ten o'clock."

"And why did you attack Ms. Swan?"

"The nurse told me she wanted it," Ryan said, and I saw a hungry look that made me want to cut off his balls, cross over his face, "She said the Swan girl would be hungry for it."

I felt my chest rumble and Carlisle shot me a quick glance. My eyes went wide in my own shock, realizing that I had growled. Growled? I blinked my eyes to clear my head from the surprise. I had growled?

"Take him back to his room." Carlisle instructed the two guards, "I want you stationed outside of his room until I get there. You, come here."

The third guard who had been standing by the door came scurrying over as the other two escorted Kingston out. Good riddance. While I had to work with them before, I couldn't stand men who raped or abused women. There was no way to convince me that there was a way to atone for that kind of behavior. If those types of cases came my way now, I refused to take them on, or I suggested they be locked up because they were beyond redemption. It made me sick to even try and delve into the mind of a man who committed such atrocities, and I gave Carlisle credit for working with the man.

"I want you to bring me the security tape footage from last night," Carlisle said to the guard, his tone so serious it was kind of scary.

"But sir," the guard replied, "The guy's a nut! You don't really think he's telling the truth?"

"I said bring me the tapes!" Carlisle snapped, "Is there anything you don't understand about that? I want them in my office in ten minutes!"

My eyes went wide as I looked between Carlisle and the guard who was now scurrying away out of the common room. Carlisle actually looked scary, like he was some kind of beast or predator or something. I never would've thought the good doctor had a side of him like that. I didn't get to speak with Carlisle, and he seemed to forget that I was there as he rushed out of the room, no doubt to check on Kingston.

For the rest of the day at the hospital, I was left alone with my thoughts. I was actually looking forward to what Jasper Platt was going to have to say in our session tomorrow. When I finished prepping for my time with Jasper, I headed home, passing by the liquor store on my way. I ignored it for the first time since I'd been in Forks. I finished up the rest of the pasta dish from Esme for dinner and took a long shower to ease my mind instead of partaking in liquor.

I pondered why I had growled the way I did today, when Kingston had mentioned touching the Swan girl. True, I was disgusted by such men, but I had growled. Growled like some sort of feral beast. I never growled. I thought about my animalistic reaction for a long time, trying to remember if that was something I had done before. I thought until my eyes drooped and I hastily set an alarm to wake up for a run tomorrow morning. I wondered what my dreams would come up with tonight.

_**APOV**_

"It's her!" I gasped, "How did I not see this happening?"

"You didn't see it?" Emmett asked.

I shook my head. I had been looking for the trio of nomads for days now, but I hadn't been able to get anything on them. I couldn't understand why I had been able to see them before, but wasn't able to anymore. I was beginning to think I might be losing my touch. I was trying to watch so many people, I was worried some of the visions might've been slipping past me.

"I had seen this morning that something was going to happen to Bella in the common room today, but I didn't think it would be related to the nomads!" I huffed in irritation. I had seen a vision of myself comforting a terribly upset Bella in the common room this morning. I called Carlisle as soon as he was finishing his session with Edward.

"I don't know how she got in," Carlisle sighed, "But as expected, she wasn't on the tape. She was moving too fast to see."

"Did you slow down the tape?" Jasper asked, "She might show up if you go frame by frame. Even our kind aren't fast enough to not appear as at least a blur."

It was now around 3 in the morning, and things were quiet at the hospital. While there were the night guards who made their rounds and security cameras to avoid, we moved fast enough to get around. The guards wouldn't know to be looking for us frame by frame in a slowed down video, and we returned to our cells in time before the guards did their rounds. We had gotten in and out undetected to hunt, which was worrisome, because it proved the red head could get in and out undetected as well. Jasper and I were sitting in Carlisle's office. Emmett was sitting inside Isabella's room, acting as guard. She didn't know he was there, but we didn't want to take any chances now that we knew the nomads were in Forks. Carlisle and Esme were on speaker phone as they guarded Edward's house. Our vampire hearing was coming in handy as we were all speaking in low voices.

My brows furrowed as I tried to look for the red-head again. I was getting nothing. I decided instead to try looking for the Hanson reject. I got the image of them looking over the Seattle skyline, and I couldn't help but screech in disgust as I was hit with a new one.

"WHAT?" Everyone cried out at the same time.

"Okay…" I let out slowly, clenching my eyes shut and trying to shake that unwanted image from my head. "We have a problem here. I think the red head is immune to my abilities. I saw nothing when I tried to look for her, but when I looked for the dirty blond guy, I saw way more than I ever wanted to."

"Did you see them getting it on?" Of course Emmett would ask such a question. I could just see him wiggling his eyebrows.

"Focus, moron," Jasper hissed.

"If you must know, Emmett," I replied, "Yes, they were getting it on, and apparently he likes to fuck her from behind, and I mean _in_ her behind, not just from behind. Anything else before I attempt to mentally bleach that from my mind?"

"No…"

"Alice, you see nothing when you look for her?" Carlisle asked.

"Nothing," I shook my head.

"Here!" Jasper called from Carlisle's desk, where the computer was, "She's fast all right, but there's a series of blurs here in these three frames."

As I looked over his shoulder, I saw Jasper was right. There was a distinct form of a person running up to the door of Ryan Kingston's room, and entering it before disappearing from the screen again.

"We'll have to change our defense tactics," Jasper said, "Carlisle, if she's the one in charge over what they're doing in Forks, Alice won't be able to see it coming."

"What about the third one? Can you see him, Alice?" Esme asked.

When I looked for the vampire with the dreads, I got a vision of him hunting in Port Angeles. The poor girl…she looks so young. I swallowed the venom that had pooled in my mouth from the vision. While I would never attack a human on purpose, my body still reacted to the images.

"He's hunting in Port Angeles," I said quietly. Jasper sensed my mood and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"You know there's nothing we can do about that right now, darlin'," he said softly, sending waves of calm through me.

"I know…I still feel for the girl and her family though."

"Okay, so you can't see the red head now, but how did you see the visions of them before?" Emmett asked.

I frowned as I thought about it.

"Well…the visions of the ballet studio…I was looking for visions of our family and of Bella and Edward. It's not the red head's decision that leads us all there, but it must be her idea that starts it all off. She must be planning how to get to Edward and Bella, and somehow, she knows of my abilities, and that I won't be able to see her decide."

"So what do we do then?" Emmett asked.

"Jasper," Carlisle spoke up, "Suggestions?"

"I think one of us will have to join you and Esme in watching Edward. There are three of them, and I'd feel better about having even numbers."

"I'll do it!" Emmett piped up. I knew he would. The poor guy was itching for a fight. I knew he was looking for any reason to pummel the crap out of something. He missed Rosalie more than he let out. Jasper told me he could feel his longing and despair over being torn between his family loyalty and his wife. I could see that Emmett wasn't going to run either. He was truly going to remain and help Carlisle and Esme protect Edward.

"Jasper, are you sure you and Alice can handle protecting Bella at the hospital?" Esme asked, worry coloring her voice.

I couldn't see any visions that would give Esme some comfort, but Jasper squeezed my hip.

"We'll be able to handle it," Jasper replied.

"All right then," Carlisle said, "I'll make up documents that will have Emmett transferred. We'll have to see where we can go from there."

"We know she is after Edward and Isabella," Jasper replied, "So if we keep watch, we should be able to catch the red head. And if Alice watches the other two nomads, we may get a glimpse at the plan simply from their reactions to the red head's decisions."

I sighed as I listened to Jasper talk and explain more to the rest of the group his ideas for watching Edward when he wasn't at the house or the hospital, and explaining that it might be better that we let Isabella know what was going on. After all, she already knew that we were all vampires, though I wasn't sure how yet. She was adamant about the fact that she wouldn't tell us anything until she had spoken with Edward. I had seen bits and pieces of their meetings, but there was nothing that gave any answers. Nothing that explained how Isabella knew who we were or what Edward meant when he said that Bella was three other women. Suddenly, I was hit with a vision of Edward, and I gasped loudly again.

"Darlin', what is it?" Jasper asked, as I could hear everyone else voicing their concerns.

"It's Edward," I said quietly, just as Esme reacted.

"He just woke up," Esme cried, "He woke up screaming the name Belle. Oh…oh…well, now I feel a little intrusive."

I heard Carlisle chuckle softly over the phone.

"I'm guessing the doc and his bed were getting intimate again?" Emmett asked.

"If my nose is correct…then yes," Esme replied.

"Ew," was all Emmett said.

I shook my head, but another vision of Edward hit me.

"He's Googling you!" I shouted, momentarily confused by what was happening and why. I didn't have to wonder long though, as things began to snap into place in my head. Was everything that Bella told us actually true? Was she Belle Swan? And was Edward…was he somehow Robert Masen?

"What? Who?" I heard Carlisle ask urgently, "Who is Edward looking up?"

I turned to stare wide-eyed at my husband.

"Jasper Whitlock."

**Well? Yes? No? Things are starting to sort of fall together right? What oh what will Edward's meeting with Jasper be like? Let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? I already have the next chapter well under way. :-D **


	5. Ch 4:  What I've Done

**Disclaimer: Not mine…SM owns all**

**A/N: Thank you for reading & reviewing! I appreciate it a lot. :-D I know a lot of you have questions…just be patient. Okay…onwards! **

**I want you all to go check out eternally_addicted's profile! Not only is she my super beta, but she wrote/writes three great stories! "The Game That Changed It All" is complete and "Truths, Lies, and Alibis" is 15 chapters in, but so good! And she also writes "Worth the Burn" with My-Bella. Check them out and leave her some love!**

_**So let mercy come**_

_**And wash away**_

_**What I've done**_

_**I'll face myself**_

_**To cross out what I've become**_

_**Erase myself**_

_**And let go of what I've done**_

_**-Linkin Park, "What I've Done"**_

Chapter 4: What I've Done

**Name: **Platt, Jasper

**Identifying date: **Jasper is guessed to be a 20-year old Caucasian male. Believes he was born in Texas in 1843. Joined the Confederate Army in 1861, and fought until he was "captured" by the Union Army. Found roaming the streets in Philadelphia before being transferred to Forks.

**Appearance: **Jasper is dressed in the hospital issued attire. His hair is unkempt, but he is clean and well groomed. He has crescent shaped scars visible on his forearms and neck. He is about 6'0" tall and has a thin but muscular build. Shakes his leg non-stop when sitting.

**Presenting problem: **Believes that he is a soldier from the Civil War era.

_Developmental History _

_*won't give any history other than that of his Civil War life_

**Pregnancy/Infancy: **Mother had normal pregnancy and Jasper met all developmental milestones.

**Elementary school: **In addition to working on his family's farm, Jasper attended school. Expressed his dislike for the classroom and was fascinated by the stories of war, stating his great great grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War.

**Middle school: **The family needed more help on the farm and Jasper stopped attending school.

**High School: **At the age of 18, left home to join the army as the Civil War began.

**College/Adulthood: **Rose quickly through the ranks and was so promoted to major of his battalion. Fought in many battles and received many scars. Was deep in the North when the news his parents' farm had been attacked reached him. His battalion was ambushed and his best friend was shot, dying in Jasper's arms. Left his battalion without permission in order to make his way home. Captured by the Union Army in Philadelphia.

**Current: **Still being held captive by the Union Army. Though he has been moved from Philadelphia to Washington. He believes that they are hiding him and keeping him because of his rank and leadership skills. Wants to get home to Texas and doesn't understand this purgatory with all these shiny new things that God has trapped him in (i.e. the present day). It frustrates him to no end.

_Mental Status_

**Verbal: **Speaks clearly and evenly with a distinct Southern accent.

**Non-Verbal: **Constantly shakes his leg and sometimes paces, his arms always behind his back.

**Intelligence: **Though he says he quit school, seems to display intelligence of one above average.

**Mood: **Calm and attentive, though does not show much emotion.

**Perception: **Poor, seeing the modern world as purgatory.

**Sensorium: **Alert and focused on the counselor.

**Memory: **Good. Never deviates from the background story that he tells. Consistent.

**Thought Content: **Delusional thoughts

**Thought Process: **Irrational

**Judgement: **Poor

**Insight: **Poor, though clearly high functioning

**Eating: **Special diet. In the past has only chewed food and spit it back out.

**Sleeping: **Poor, suffers from insomnia.

**Sexual Patterns: **Healthy libido

**Drugs/Alcohol: **Neither

_Multiaxial Assessment _

**Axis I: **309.81 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

295.30 Paranoid Type of Schizophrenia

**Axis II: **307.50 Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified

**Axis III: **None

**Axis IV: **Vivid memories of being at war

No family to speak of

Best friend died in his arms

**Axis V: **GAF= 44

_Differential Assessment: Suspect that Jasper's behavior is due to a traumatic event in his life. Number one guess is that Jasper was once enlisted in the military and may have experienced something horrific fighting in the war. Based on his age, he more than likely fought in the war in Iraq. PTSD likely grew and had an impact on the schizophrenia. Jasper has created an alternate reality to deal with his stress and pain. Quite possibly, the onset has come from the death of his best friend. _

_More than likely, Jasper was well educated before he enlisted in the military, hence his extensive knowledge of the Civil War era, and he speaks clearly and intelligently. Spoke vividly of time spent at war. Will have to explore deeper into Jasper's past, perhaps look for current military records. On Axis II, it has been noted on his initial intake that Jasper will chew his food, but spit it out, claiming it is "futuristic" and "poisoned". For Axis IV, it is still assumed that Jasper's problems have stemmed from his time in the military._

_When talking to Jasper, it is obvious that he is an educated individual, well beyond the education that he mentioned in his developmental history. However, his thought process is poor, and his thoughts are delusional. Thus the GAF score of 44. He is intelligent and capable, but his thoughts and thought process are irrational._

_*Will continue to meet and will re-assess in one month_

I sat back heavily in my chair and rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands. Today had been an absolutely crazy day. When I arrived in the morning, I was told by Carlisle that Emmett McCarty had attempted to kill himself last night, and they transported him to a facility in Arizona that Carlisle said was more than capable of working with Emmett and had a doctor there, Dr. Charlotte Peters, who specialized in suicidal patients as well as schizophrenics. I nodded in understanding, knowing that this was probably better for Emmett if this doctor was in fact a specialist. However, by the end of the day, Emmett McCarty was the least of my worries. In the end, I had to do everything I could to stay calm as I talked to Jasper Platt.

"_Hello, Jasper," I said calmly as he was escorted into my office._

"_Let go of me you cretin!" Jasper barked at the guard that brought him to his appointment. _

_I held my hand up to the guard, "It's fine. Please let Mr. Platt go."_

"_Your funeral, Doc…" The guard muttered as he left the room._

_As I looked at Jasper, he remained standing, his arms locked behind his back, and staring straight forward. I walked towards my chair, never taking my eyes off of Jasper. He looked exactly as he had in my dream. I wondered what my subconscious was doing to me. In my dream, Jasper's last name had been "Whitlock" and he was friends with Belle and myself. I had had the dream before. It was of the day Robert left to fight in the Civil War. However, last night was the first time that Jasper or Belle's brother Jacob had ever been in the dream. _

"_Would you like to sit down, Jasper?"_

_Jasper looked at me, keeping his face blank, and took a seat slowly. His back was ramrod straight and he kept his hands on his knees. As I watched him, I noticed his left leg begin to shake. _

"_Jasper, my name is Dr. Masen," I start out slowly, keeping my voice soft, "Do you know why you're here?"_

_I watched as Jasper's eyes went wide, and I could practically feel the fear rolling off of him._

"_You're…you're not going to…to hurt me are you?" Jasper asked._

_My brow furrowed, "No, Jasper. Why would you say that?"_

"_Because…this is torture."_

"_And you think I'm here to torture you?"_

"_I don't know!" Jasper said, his hands flying up to his hair and tugging. I feel his confusion just from looking at him._

"_You're a doctor! Can't you help me?" Jasper lowers his hands and looks at me. _

"_Jasper," I replied calmly, "I'm going to do everything I can to help you."_

_He nodded nervously._

"_Now, why don't you tell me how things have been for you here?"_

"_This is torture!" He spat, "Some sort of futuristic hell!"_

_I nodded but pressed on, "But you have managed to make friends here? I see you talking with others in the common room, and you stood up for Isabella."_

_My heart throbbed when I thought of Isabella. I had yet to actually see her face or meet with her. She never seemed to be in the common room. _

"_He shouldn't have touched her!" Jasper snarled, "You don't treat a lady that way!"_

"_Is that something that you were taught growing up? Your manners?"_

_Jasper nodded, "My momma would turn over in her grave if she saw me behave that way."_

"_So Isabella and Mary Alice…are they your friends?"_

"_They help me adjust to being in here," he shrugged._

"_Do you think I can help you?" I asked calmly._

"_Will you keep them from torturing me?" Jasper asked, his eyes wide again._

"_I will. If you don't mind, we can come back to this torture you speak of so that I can prevent that from happening. Does that sound okay?"_

_Jasper nodded._

"_I would like to start from the beginning and get a little more background information from you."_

_Again, he didn't speak, but simply nodded. His gaze was directed towards the floor and his leg was still shaking._

"_Do you mind telling me more about growing up? About your parents?"_

_I watched as Jasper shrugged and seemed to calm._

"_What about yourself? Can you tell me when you were born?"_

"_December twenty-first, Sir."_

_I nodded, "Do you mind telling me what year?"_

"_Eighteen forty-three, Sir."_

_My face remained neutral as I wrote down what Jasper was telling me. I had read from his initial intake that he believe he was from the 1800s. I had to admit, I was curious as to what else he was going to tell me. It didn't escape my mind that when Jasper had popped up in my dream the night before, I was Robert and my brown eyed girl was Belle, and it was the dream that took place in the 1800s. I tried to push that all from my mind and focus on working with Jasper._

"_And what year do you think it is right now, Jasper?"_

_He looked me dead in the eye, and I noticed his eyes were that odd amber color…the same as Carlisle's._

"_It's eighteen sixty-three, Doctor."_

_I nodded my head yet again and settled into my chair. This was going to be an interesting session._

I leaned forward and banged my head on the desk in front of me. I let my head just rest there on the wood for a few minutes. I had never been challenged like this before. I was never one to read into dreams or believe that they really told us anything, but I knew the general information that the masses believed in order to explain our dreams. Dreams were a product of our subconscious, but I found that to be a bunch of bullshit until recently.

I had no idea who the brown eyed girl in my dreams were, or why I was able to speak and understand Spanish when I couldn't in real life, or why I had a British accent and a Southern accent in others. If dreams were a product of our subconscious, then where the hell were all of these things from my dreams coming from? It also didn't explain why I kept dreaming of the same girl.

Sitting up, I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I could tell that it was sticking up in all directions. Deciding I had enough of working on Jasper Platt's case study, I saved it and closed the program before glancing at the Internet window that I still had up from the previous night. When I Googled Jasper Whitlock, I expected to find something, but nothing came up, and it was like the guy didn't exist. I closed the window and turned off my computer. It was just my subconscious throwing Jasper and Carlisle into my dreams. That was the only way to explain it.

Dinner consisted of a pizza tonight. I was out of food that Esme had prepared and the pizza joint had been on my way home. It took all of my strength to not walk into the liquor store next door. I had been successful so far in not drinking myself into a coma every night. Of course, I had only been trying this out for like, two days. We'd see how I doing by the end of the week. I made my way to the bedroom and slowly stripped out of my clothes, throwing them in the newly purchased hamper that now resided in my bathroom. I turned the water up as hot as I could handle, hoping that the hot water would calm the muscles in my body and also my brain. I had gone running this morning as suggested by Carlisle. Apparently it had been longer than I thought since I had last worked out. My thighs were burning. I scowled as I stepped under the water. I was sure that it also had something to do with the dream I had last night.

When I was growing up, I hadn't given much thought to girls…at least not until I hit puberty. That was when the dreams started, and of course, when the _wet_ dreams started. It didn't take me long to realize that there were three different girls, despite the same brown eyes, and that I was called three different names. I had also dreamed of three different weddings, and making love to these three different women in a variety of locations. My spank bank had quite a bit of material to pick from if I ever felt the need to whack off. It didn't matter though, because apparently having a genius brain has left me with a deficient dick that only got hard from the girl of my literal dreams.

I stepped under the water of my shower and sighed, leaning my forehead against the wall. Last night I had dreamt of the wedding to Belle and also our wedding night. It was the new component of the beginning of the dream, and the fact that this dream had skipped around, that threw me. It went from saying goodbye with Jasper and Jacob, a man I knew to be Belle's brother, to my saying my vows as I married Belle in a small reception. Jasper and Jacob had been absent from the wedding, and I wondered where they were. I shook my head…that was not what I wanted to think about right now.

Instead, I thought of Belle and our wedding night from my dream. My excuse was that I needed to relieve some tension. It was however, one of my favorite dreams, one I tried to have repeated and get my subconscious to cooperate, but that never happened. It always showed up on a whim, just like the other times I dreamt of her. This one I liked because it was the only time she took control of what was going on. Apparently, Robert and Belle were not exactly…traditional, something I recently discovered. Over the years, I was able to put timelines in the different dreams together. Robert and Belle had been in love for a long time, since childhood, much like Eduardo and Isabel and Anthony and Marie.

In the dream when I, or well, Robert left with Jasper and Jacob, they, er…we were all in our Confederate Army uniforms. I wondered if in the storyline of my dream, if maybe Jasper and Jacob didn't make it back to the farm. I mean, I had never seen Jacob before in real life, and Jasper was just my subconscious plugging him in there. It was all too coincidental that he was a member of the Confederate Army as well. My dreams were weird, but that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy the good ones that I had.

When I say that Robert and Belle weren't traditional, I meant that in the Biblical sense. From what I was able to piece together, the duo slept together before Robert left for the war. The pair had spent the day in a meadow near the farm and Belle had begged Robert to make love to her before he went away. I recalled that scene, as it was a dream all its own. Like always, it was so real and I ended up making a mess both in the dream and in my sheets. Apparently, Robert was an "honorable" man, and did not want to leave Belle pregnant and alone with a baby, so in my dream and in reality, I came all over the sheets.

The wedding night dream…oh it was my favorite because Belle was in control. I closed my eyes and groaned as I felt my dick start to react as I remembered the way Belle sat on top of me. The way her white, soft, breasts bounced in front of me…I could almost feel them under my own hands. I moaned as I wrapped a hand around myself. It wouldn't take long, that I was sure of.

"_Robert…Oh God…"_

I moaned as I pictured her moving above me. "Ohhhh…Belle…"

"_You…I…you feel so…big…"_

"Oh God…"

"_More…I need more…"_

"Faster…oh, please love…faster…"

"_Ungh…oh God…oh my God…"_

"Yes…yes…oh God yeeeeessss…"

I nearly fell to the floor as my knees buckled slightly. My chest was heaving and I was a little shocked at how quick that all was. I wondered what I would dream of tonight after that little session I just had. _Come on subconscious! I wouldn't mind having a replay of that dream!_

The rest of my shower was rather boring and when I finished up, I saw that my phone was blinking with a missed call. I noticed that it was the main Cullen house calling. I sighed…I bet that meant Esme was calling to bring me food. When I glanced at the clock, I realized it actually wasn't all that late. I decided to call.

"_Hello? Cullen residence."_

I almost barked out a laugh but I bit my lip to sober myself a little. I seriously had no idea people still answered their phones that way.

"Hello, Esme. This is Edward returning your call."

"_Oh, Edward! I hope I didn't interrupt anything?"_

I could've sworn I heard something that sounded sort of like a hiccupping bear in the background. I heard Esme hiss something that I couldn't understand.

"Is everything okay, Esme?"

"_Oh…oh yes. Carlisle broke my vacuum. He decided that the best time to fix it would be right now while I'm on the phone."_

I couldn't help but chuckle a little, "Well, go easy on the old man."

"_Yes…well. Anyway, Edward, I was wondering if I might stop by and bring you some food? You know I have quite a bit of free time on my hands and always cook in bulk._"

"Oh…yeah, sure."

"_All right, Edward. See you in a few minutes."_

"Sure…bye."

I sighed heavily and hung up the phone. The woman was just too nice for her own good. I had barely enough time to slip on some clothes before I saw the headlights of a car appear. Padding out to the living room, I opened the door to find Esme and Carlisle climbing up the stairs, arms both full of food.

"Esme, Carlisle…this is too much!" I protested. Honestly, it was _a lot_ of food. If I didn't pack half of it in the freezer, I was going to have to throw it out.

"Nonsense," Esme waved a hand, "I made you the pastas you like so that you can easily heat them up, and I made you a bunch of soups, stews, and chilies that you can freeze so they won't go bad and you'll have something on reserve."

I blinked rapidly. Hadn't I just thought that?

"Oh, well…thank you very much. I swear you're trying to fatten me up, Esme."

I expected a blush or something, but Esme's pale skin showed no sign of embarrassment from my compliments.

"You could use it, son," Carlisle chuckled, "Man can't survive solely on that horrible liquid they like to pass off as coffee at the hospital."

I nodded, "I suppose. It's nice to have a good meal to come home to. Please tell me you two enjoyed something similar?"

Esme smirked and looked at Carlisle, "We had venison stew…an old recipe I got from a friend in Alaska."

My eyes widened, "Venison? Really?"

Carlisle smiled slightly, "We tend to eat mostly vegetarian…but it was pretty tasty."

"I'll take your word on that," I nodded. The idea of eating deer did not appeal to me in the slightest, though as I looked at the two of them, I felt like I was missing out on some inside joke again.

"Well," Esme said, "We'll leave you to enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Thank you again for the food, Esme."

"You're welcome, Edward dear," She smiled at me. My chest throbbed slightly in my chest. Esme's hair was more of a caramel color and not quite like my mother's, but her smile…it was like the smile only a mother could give. I blinked my eyes rapidly again trying to clear the fog in my brain and the pain in my chest. I gave her a small smile and turned to Carlisle. He offered me his hand and I noticed he was wearing gloves.

"Working on that circulation problem?"

Carlisle smiled, "trying something new. I'll see you for our session tomorrow, Edward."

I shook his hand but swore I could still feel the cold through his gloves.

"Yes, have a good evening, Carlisle."

As I locked up for the night, I wondered briefly about their eye colors. Carlisle, Esme, and even Jasper and Emmett all had the same odd colored amber eyes. I made a mental note to Google the commonality of the unique eye color later. I stripped off the shirt I had put on for company's sake and flopped down into bed. I rolled over onto my back and stared at the ceiling, mentally preparing for what I had on my agenda for tomorrow.

My second session with Carlisle…I couldn't help but wonder how that would go. I had felt somewhat…better I suppose you could say. I felt a bit lighter, but my heart still felt heavy and I swear the ache increased every day I was at the hospital. If I had to guess, Carlisle was likely to bring up my parents in more depth tomorrow. Hell…he was probably going to go all the way back to my childhood and analyze why I tried so hard and worked so hard to please my father. I rubbed the two rings that sat on the cord around my neck, only removed when I showered. I hated that I was beginning to forget what my father looked like. He worked long hours when I was growing up, so he wasn't home often. All I could remember of him now was the bloody carcass that I had to identify because my mother was too shocked and grief-stricken to do it. I shook my head. I didn't want to go there. Maybe Carlisle was going to suggest I had "Daddy issues" as opposed to "Mommy" ones.

After lunch tomorrow, I was due to meet with my third client, the increasingly infamous Mary Alice Whitlock. Carlisle said her initial intake was a bit of a blur, with Alice (as she preferred to be called), just sprouting off the information that was required without even waiting for a question to be asked. Alice's presenting problem: she believes that she can see the future. Carlisle wasn't lying when he said he presented me with their most difficult cases. It made me wonder what Isabella Swan was going to be like. Carlisle apologized for not being able to have an initial intake ready for her, but I shrugged it off. My initial assessment of her was what would really matter.

I picked up the cord that lay on my chest and held the two rings between my thumb and forefinger. It was all I had left of my parents. My mother insisted I keep her engagement ring as well…though I wasn't quite sure whom she thought I was going to give that to. It was like there were any prospects on the horizon. I kept the box that held the perfect ring hidden away in the desk in my office. I sighed again and wondered if there was such a place as heaven and whether or not my parents were together there. Part of me hoped that there was such a place and maybe, just maybe, I would see them again someday. I let the rings drop against my chest. My heart throbbed as I thought of the parents that I had lost, and I closed my eyes willing a peaceful sleep to come to me. I hoped they were happy wherever they were.

"_How often are you going to write to Belle, Robert? Honestly, it's like you write to her every day," Andrew says. I shake my head and ignore him. The kid snuck into the army. He was only 16 years old, but according to him, no one missed him where he came from._

"_I do write to her every day," I answer simply._

"_What?" Andrew nearly shouts, "But we hardly ever find someone delivering post these days!"_

"_I'll send all the letters together when I do then," I nearly growl. The kid is starting to get on my nerves._

"_Miller, leave Sergeant Masen alone."_

"_Yes, Sir!" Andrew squeaks, scurrying away. That reaction right there…that was why he shouldn't be fighting this war. He was still a boy, afraid of our current commanding officer, Major Jasper Whitlock._

"_Thank you, Sir," I say with a smile. Jasper rolls his eyes but takes the newly vacated seat next to me._

_Jasper had risen through the ranks quickly. He had relatives that fought in previous wars, and his father was a Colonel, in command of a regiment that was further up north near Virginia last we heard. I wasn't quite sure where Belle's father was. He was somewhere up north as well. Luckily, Jasper, Jacob, and I were able to be in the same regiment. Jacob was a Sergeant as well. We were acting on orders from our Colonel and had just helped evacuate a colony of women and children outside of Galveston and taken them to Houston. _

"_If you don't mind my prying, but what do you write to Belle every day?" Jasper asks_

_I shrug, "I just tell her my thoughts. Tell her about things I saw that I would want to discuss with her when I get back. Tell her how much I miss her…"_

"_How much you love her."_

_My eyes widen and I turn to look at Jasper, but he simply grins at me._

"_Robert, honestly? You and Belle have been best friends since we were in diapers. It was clear when we left how much you two love each other."_

"_Really?" I ask quietly._

_Jasper smirks, "Well, I may have seen the two of you…embracing behind the barn once or twice."_

_I felt my cheeks heat. "I'm going to marry her, Jasper. I promised her I would come back and I promised I would marry her."_

"_Marry who, Masen?"_

_I cringe as Jacob Swan sits on my other side and nudges my knee, making my quill streak across the page._

"_I…uh…um…"_

_Jacob had been my friend just as long as Belle had, but we didn't have that connection I shared with Belle. Jacob rolls his eyes and Jasper tries to cover up the sound of his laughter._

"_You finally going to make an honest woman out of my sister, Masen?" Jacob stares at me, his face blank._

_I swallow heavily, trying not to think about the day Belle and I spent in our meadow before I left. Surely Jacob would kill me for sure if he found out I had taken Belle's innocence__away from her…especially before we had married. I just nod as an answer, my throat to closed up to say a word._

"_Finally…" Jacob sighs._

"_I agree," Jasper chimes in, "I was certain you would've married her before we left, Robert."_

"_You know Jonathan and Martha never would've approved," I sigh, my face looking towards the ground. I was a slave…calling me a servant or a workman didn't make it any better. In their eyes, I wasn't worthy of Belle. _

"_Jonathan might change his mind," Jasper says, some hope in his voice._

"_True," Jacob nods, "Dad can appreciate the fact that you're now a Sergeant in our fine army."_

"_I hope so…" I say quietly. I didn't think about it often, but I also hoped that I would return to Belle at all. It wasn't guaranteed that I would, and no one knew how much longer the war was going to last. I would do almost anything to be home with her right now._

"_I'll get you home to her, Robert. I promise," Jasper pats my shoulder, "She wouldn't survive without you."_

"_And what about me? You not promising to get me home, Major Whitlock?" Jacob smiles._

"_I promise that to all soldiers under my command, whether it be home on this earth or the home of eternal rest, I can't say…but I promise peace in the end."_

_Jacob's eyes widen, "Who knew you were capable of such…profound words, Jasper?"_

"_Quiet!" Jasper mutters, "Come on now, the three of us are heading back to Galveston tonight to prepare the next group to evacuate to Houston tomorrow."_

_Jacob and I both groan. I suppose that's what we got for being officers. At least it was just going to be the three of us. It was a long ride and if I had to spend it with Andrew Miller chattering away, I was going to go mad. The ride to Galveston was going to be long as it was, and my backside was not so thrilled about making this ride twice in one day. Again, I was grateful that it was just Jasper, Jacob, and I riding together. Together, we could just be three friends out on a ride together for a least a small amount of time, when the rest of our days were consumed by war and all the tragedies that came with it. _

_Every day I tried to find something peaceful as I rode across Texas. Some small piece of beauty to find peace while our country waged war. Something beautiful that I could tell Belle about in my next letter, something that made me forget about the horrors I had seen and the things that I had done. I couldn't tell her that I had killed men…shot them or stabbed those in the one instance that we were ambushed and forced to hand to hand combat. It made me feel like a monster to remember. Jasper set a fast pace and we were soon tearing across the terrain on our horses. The Swans had given me a horse to ride, a black filly with a white star on her forehead. Belle named her Starlight. She was fast and I had actually helped my father train her before he passed on last winter. My chest ached slightly when I thought of him and my mother. I hadn't wanted to leave my mother all alone either, but with the Conscription Law, I had to. Belle promised to look after her until I came back. I asked my mother to look after Belle for me as well. _

_By the time the sun began to sink in the west, we decided to stop briefly for a drink of water before riding the rest of the way to Galveston. I sighed and looked at the colors in the sky before getting back up on Starlight. The colors of the sky…that was what I would write to Belle about tonight. I would tell her how the pink in the sky reminded of her beautiful blush, how the orange reminded me of the peach cobbler she made, and how the purple reminded me of the gorgeous dress she had been wearing the last night I saw her. Just as we started to ride again, near a line of trees, shots rang out, and I felt a searing pain tear through my shoulder._

"_Ambush!" Jasper shouts._

_The pain in my shoulder is overwhelming as I try to scramble for my gun._

"_Ride!" Jasper shouts, "Jacob! Jacob!"_

_I was horrified when I turned to see Belle's brother hunched over in his saddle and clutching at his abdomen. Jasper reaches over and pulls him across his saddle. I cringe when I see Jacob's blood running down Jasper's legs and hear him scream in pain._

"_Ride, Robert!" Jasper yells._

_As I fumble for Starlight's reins, more shots ring out and I drop my revolver as Starlight takes off at a run, finally startled by the gunshots. Jacob's unmanned horse went running in another direction and I hear Jasper curse as we take off away from the trees, and in a direction opposite of the course we were on. It wasn't uncommon to hear about looters and felons who preyed on people who were traveling, but this was the first time we had encountered any on the road to Galveston._

_I wasn't sure how long we were riding for, but my shoulder was throbbing and I tried not to__acknowledge that the wetness I felt running down my arm was my own blood. When Jasper felt like we had gone far enough we stopped. I nearly fall off of Starlight in my haste to help Jacob, though I can barely hold him steady with my one good arm as Jasper leaps off his horse. Jacob screams in agony and he crumples to the ground, my one arm unable to hold us both up._

"_Jacob! Jacob!" I shout. Jasper quickly kneels down next to us._

"_You're shot!" He shouts, noting my shoulder, "Are you hurt anywhere else?"_

_I shake my head. Jasper has his blanket in his hands and rips off a piece and hands it to me._

"_Try to stop the bleeding!" He tells me before turning his attention to Jacob._

_I press the cloth to my shoulder, wincing as I feel the pressure. Jasper hands me another strip and I tie it around my torso to hold the other piece in place. I wince as pain shoots through me. Jaocb's screams and coughs, making me forget about my own pain. Jasper has him propped up in his arms and is pressing the blanket to his wound._

"_Jacob, hold on, damn it!" Jasper curses. Jacob coughs up blood and is gasping. I kneel next to them and feel my own eyes start to prickle. Jacob grabs for me roughly and I fumble with my good arm to hold his hand._

"_Hold on," I nod, "We're going to get you somewhere safe."_

_Jacob coughs again, blood dribbling down his chin, yet he smiles, and it's the smile that he shares with his sister, Belle._

"_Rob…Rob…ert…Robert…take care…of…her…" Jacob coughs. I squeeze his hand and look at Jasper. His eyes are glassy too, and we both know that there's nothing we can do for Jacob. We had both seen too many fellow soldiers at the end and heard them make the same speeches._

"_I…I will…"_

_I'm barely able to speak, my throat so swollen from trying to hold back my tears._

"_Remember…" Jacob whispers, but he doesn't finish his sentence and his head lolls to the side and hand goes limp in my grasp._

_I feel the dam inside me break and tears slip down my cheek. One of my best friends, Belle's brother…Jacob was…dead. How would I ever be able to tell…to tell Belle…I placed his hand down on the ground as Jasper slowly crawls to his feet. I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes._

"_Go home…" Jasper whispers after a few minutes. My eyes snap open and I look at him. Surely he wasn't suggesting…_

"_Go home…go home to Belle. Protect our families," Jasper says, his face blank and emotionless. I cringe at the blood that is covering his uniform. _

"_Jasper…I…I can't…"_

"_Yes, you can," He says, authority clear in his voice. He turns and walks back to his horse, tearing into the pack he has on his saddle._

"_Change out of your uniform, put these on," He throws a plain brown jacket and trousers at me, "Avoid the big cities and head north. The way I figure, we're about three hundred miles from home. You should make it in a couple days."_

"_Jasper! What? No…I can't!" I stammer._

"_I am ordering you!" Jasper shouts, "Go home to Belle! To Martha! To your mother! Don't leave them there unprotected."_

"_Jasper…" I try again. I can't just abandon my post in the army, abandon Jasper, or the rest of our men. When I don't move, Jasper surprises me and punches me in the jaw. I crumble to ground and Jasper looms over me._

"_Go. Home," He grinds out between his teeth, "I won't have Belle lose everyone she loves. I want my best friends to be happy. I promised you that I would get you home to her…now go!"_

"_What about you?" I ask, rubbing my jaw._

"_I'll take care of Jacob and head back towards Galveston," Jasper says solemnly. _

"_Jasper…."_

"_So help me, Robert, if you don't go right now, I'll shoot you myself."_

_The look on Jasper's face told me he was dead serious. I slowly pick myself off the ground, wincing as my shoulder throbs._

"_Use your uniform for scraps to make bandages. Make sure you keep it clean."_

_I nod, looking between two of my closest friends…one of them never coming back. I try to give a smile, but I can't. I wanted to be happy to be going back to Belle, but part of me felt like a coward running away from the war._

"_No one will think you a coward, Robert. You've fought bravely," Jasper says, giving me a small smile. I can only nod, feeling again the shame of all the human lives I had already taken, and now the shame of turning tail and running back home._

_Jasper helps me secure everything in my pack and helps me on to Starlight._

"_You should ride north for a few miles and then find somewhere to rest for the night. Remember, avoid the big cities."_

_I nod as I grab the reins. "You…you take care, Jasper."_

_Jasper grins up at me, like he knows something I don't. I look down and feel the tears slip down my cheeks as I say goodbye to my two friends. When I look at Jasper again, his eyes change right before my eyes, darkening from their pale blue to a golden amber._

"_Don't worry, Edward…you'll see me again one day."_

I wake up screaming, my body covered in sweat. My hands frantically fly to my shoulder, half expecting to find my skin of my left arm covered in blood, and I pull my hand back in a rush, feeling liquid there. I managed to breathe a sigh of relief when I saw that it was just sweat that soaked my entire body. My heart was hammering away in my chest and my breaths were still coming rapidly. When I brought my hands up to rub my face, I found that my cheeks were damp and covered with not only sweat, but salty tears. _I had been crying?_ I closed my eyes and rubbed them, desperate to wake up fully. The lingering feelings of sadness and guilt are gnawing at my chest, and I swear I can feel the throbbing from the bullet that had been lodged in my shoulder.

Once my breathing was under control, I decided my skin felt absolutely disgusting. I crawled out of bed and almost tumbled to the floor. My legs and back felt absolutely exhausted, and my entire body felt wobbly as I stumbled to the bathroom. I tried to get my breathing under control. Before I had moved to Forks, I had never dreamed of anyone besides my brown-eyed girls. Now Carlisle and my patient Jasper Platt were popping up in my dreams. I didn't know what to make of it. As I turned on the light, I took a good look at my reflection in the mirror over the sink. My eyes were rimmed with red and my skin looked paler than usual. Just as I turned away to head to the shower, something on my shoulder caught my eye. My movements were jerky and I barely caught my grip on the edge of the sink as I leaned over so I could look closer in the mirror.

On my shoulder was a mark that I have never noticed before…perhaps a mole or…or freckle of some sort. My breathing picked up again as I raised a shaky finger to trace the patch of skin. Half of me expected it to be rough and raised from my skin, but the jagged mark was smooth against my body. My whole body was shaking and I closed my eyes, my hands gripping the sides of the sink harder. That patch of skin on my shoulder that was darker than the rest of my skin…the shape of it was like a scar from a gunshot wound…and it was in the exact same spot Robert had been shot in my dream.

**Well? Yes? No? What the balls is going on right? Well, I hope you all can be patient with me for two reasons:**

**#1. It's the end of the semester and I have the last two chapters of my_ thesis_ due on December 9****th****. I don't expect to post another chapter until after then. I will tell you this though, Edward is meeting Alice next, and after that, what you're all waiting for, Edward and Bella are going to come face to face. :-P **

**#2. I hope you all have an AMAZING Thanksgiving weekend (if you celebrate it)! If not, then just have an amazing weekend. :-P I'll be in New York City!**

**Let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? This year, amongst numerous other things, I am thankful for all my readers and reviewers of all of my stories. Thank you guys so much! :-D **


	6. Ch 5: By Myself

**Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters.**

**A/N: Thank you for reading & reviewing! YAY! My semester is over and the thesis is turned in! :-) **

**I have to say, if you have questions, go ahead and ask them. I just might not answer them. :-P And if I had to picture what Jacob looks like, I think I go with Jared Padalecki. LOL, I kind of adore him. Oh, and obviously, when you read this chapter, you will see that the POV is not Edward's, but Alice's.**

**Special thanks to eternally_addicted. She's the bestest beta. :-D **

_**I ask why, but in my mind**_

_**I find I can't rely on myself**_

_**I can't hold on**_

_**To what I want when I'm stretched so thin**_

_**It's all too much to take in**_

_**I can't hold on**_

_**To anything watching everything spin**_

_**With thoughts of failure sinking in**_

_**-Linkin Park, "By Myself" **_

Chapter 5: By Myself

**Name: **Whitlock, Mary "Alice"

**Identifying data: **Alice is guessed to be a 19 year old Caucasian female. She does not remember anything before being placed in the Biloxi River Asylum, but knows that she was born in Mississippi. No family to be spoken of, nor a significant other, and no records. She was transferred from the Biloxi River Asylum in Mississippi, where she was for the past two years.

**Appearance: **Alice is dressed in the hospital issued attire. Her hair is short and messy, though in a way that is supposed to be fashionable. She appears clean and well groomed. No visible scars, but is constantly bouncing when seated or standing in place for long periods of time. She is less than 5 feet tall and of a very petite build.

**Presenting problem: **Alice is convinced that she can see the future.

_Developmental History_

**Pregnancy/Infancy, Elementary school, Middle school: **Says she does not remember anything prior to the age of 17. Suspected health complications during birth due to her highly allergic nature to most foods and liquids.

**High School: **Placed in the Biloxi River Asylum at 17 years old. Records indicate she was found in the woods, wearing rags. Alice says she remembers waking up in the woods but nothing else. She says that she used to read in her free time in the Asylum, though it was limited because she says her doctors there did not encourage her reading fiction and feeding her delusional thoughts.

**College/Adulthood: **Alice remembers being transferred to Washington a few months ago. She wishes that she could go to college.

**Current: **Alice still insists that she can see the future. Constantly saying that she knew certain things were going to happen. For example, "I knew you would stain your shirt with coffee. I saw it." When in the hospital she interacts with other patients, in particular Jasper Platt and Isabella Swan. She remains positive and friendly, but refuses to believe that her ability to see the future is not real.

_Mental Status_

**Verbal: **speaks clearly, sometimes at a rapid pace

**Non-Verbal: **bounces constantly in her chair

**Intelligence: **above average

**Mood: **attentive, smiles and laughs appropriately

**Perception: **poor, believes that she can see the future

**Sensorium: **alert and focused on the counselor, but has brief moments of loss of focus

**Memory: **poor. Cannot remember anything about her life before the age of 17

**Thought Content: **delusional thoughts

**Thought Process: **rational

**Judgement: **good, save for the claims of seeing the future. Uses good judgment in daily routines.

**Insight: **poor, though client is high functioning, insistent on ability to see the future

**Eating: **special liquid diet, records from Dr. Cullen show she is highly allergic to many substances

**Sleeping: **poor, suffers from insomnia

**Sexual Patterns: **unknown, physical upon entering the hospital indicates she is not a virgin.

**Drugs/Alcohol: **neither due to high allergic possibilities.

_Multiaxial Assessment _

**Axis I: **309.81 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

307.42 Primary Insomnia

**Axis II:**

**Axis III:**

**Axis IV: **No family to speak of

Found in the woods

Amnesia

**Axis V: **GAF=

_Conclusion: Possibly using "psychic" front to cover for a more traumatic experience in her life. Suspicious that she was found wandering the woods in rags and claims to be suffering from amnesia. Also suspect possible sexual assault. Physical upon entering the hospital indicates she is not a virgin (the event that led to PTSD? Sexual assault? Blocking the memories of the event?). _

_*Will speak with Alice more at next session to gain more information._

"Hey! He didn't even finish!" I pouted, "And he thinks we all have PTSD!"

"Darlin', you have to admit, we are presenting him with some pretty difficult problems. In reality he probably wouldn't be that far off."

"Yeah, if we were normal…" I muttered.

"Plus, you already knew he wasn't going to finish your case study. Why are you so surprised?" Jasper chuckled.

"I wanted to know what he thought about me."

Jasper laughed, "Darlin', he didn't know what to make of you. Especially after the water bottle incident."

I chuckled a little as I continued to riffle through Edward's computer. At the beginning of my session with Edward, I told him not to leave the cap off of his water bottle. When he asked me why, I told him it was because he was going to knock it over at the end of our session and it would soak through his notepad. Needless to say, the good doctor didn't listen to me and stammered as he excused me at the end of our session. I wasn't trying to freak him out, and wanted to keep any visions I had out of our sessions unless I felt them necessary to share. Thus far, the visions I had of Edward weren't particularly helpful. I had seen him wake from his dream after being shot…well, after Robert was shot, I had seen him running in the woods (with Esme and Emmett flanking him in the trees), and I had seen our session. Mostly I was looking for his interaction with Bella, but nothing new was popping up. Bella hadn't made any decisions regarding her meeting with Edward, and she hadn't said anything more about him in the past few days. She was shaken after that Kingston creep attacked her, and I had only a split second to say Jasper's name before it happened. Thankfully, Jasper was close by and Bella wasn't hurt.

Tonight, Jasper and I were out of the hospital to hunt and also guard Edward. Carlisle and Esme were at the hospital guarding Bella. Emmett was hunting and also patrolling the woods for any sign of the nomads. I knew my brother was hurting without his mate, but I saw no visions of Rosalie coming back. My heart ached for both of them, and I prayed my sister would come to her senses soon. Neither one of them would last without the other. I was thankful that I saw that Emmett would at least find a bear tonight, and that fight would keep him occupied for a bit before he ate. The nomads were proving to be increasingly difficult to figure out. We determined that the red head was in charge, and somehow she blocked my power. She was carefully making all of the decisions, toying with my vision and giving us little glances here and there. The last flash I had of them, they were looking at the "Welcome to Forks" sign, so we knew they were near…but that had been two days ago. There hadn't been any sign of them in town, nor in Port Angeles or La Push. Carlisle was monitoring the newspapers in Seattle. There were several missing person cases, and Carlisle was positive the nomads had killed them. It was unfortunate, but there was nothing we could do about it now.

"He's pretty restless tonight," Jasper said, breaking me from my thoughts. He was sitting outside of Edward's bedroom window at the moment.

I nodded, "He had a pretty intense session with Carlisle this morning before I met with him."

"I heard what he said…" Jasper whispered, quieter than usual, "What he said to Carlisle, I mean."

"About the dream," I nodded, remembering what happened this morning. I was glad Jasper was finally ready to talk about it.

"_Aren't we breaking the whole confidentiality thing?" Jasper asked._

"_No…well, yes, but I told Carlisle what would happen in the session today. He knows you and I are listening," I said back quietly. Jasper and I were still in our rooms and not headed to the common room yet._

"_Jazzy, I have to warn you…you might not like what you hear, and it might…frustrate you."_

"_Darlin'…"_

_I sighed, "He dreamt about you and Jacob last night. Belle's brother?"_

_I heard Jasper take a small intake of breath._

"_I know it frustrates you to not remember everything, baby, but Carlisle is going to get Edward to describe all the details of the dream. Maybe that will help jog your memory or something."_

_I had looked to see if Jasper would remember everything. He still only remembered bits and pieces of Belle, thanks to little things Bella would tell him here and there. He didn't really recall anything of Robert Masen...until today. When he will overhear Edward describing his dream about Carlisle, he'll remember those last moments. I was sad to see that Jasper wouldn't really remember much else. Carlisle was going to say that it was a result from his change, which happened right after Jacob died. The venom burning through his body wiped out his last human memories. I heard the knock on the door and knew it was time for Edward's session with Carlisle._

"_It's time," I said quietly._

"_Alice, Jasper, I hope this may help us figure more things out," Carlisle murmured as he walked to answer his office door. I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning my head back against the wall. _

"_Edward, good morning."_

"_Morning, Carlisle."_

_For lack of better words, Edward looked like crap. Of course, I understood why. He never got back to sleep after his dream last night, too freaked out about what he might see next. Edward spent the rest of his evening reading and then went for a run at the crack of dawn. This was his fourth cup of coffee today._

"_Can I offer you anything else to drink with your coffee?" Carlisle asked._

"_No thank you," Edward mumbled._

_I knew right off the bat, Carlisle was going to call him out on the lack of sleep. It didn't take a psychic to know that Edward hadn't slept last night. His hair was even messier than usual and he had bags under his eyes. Not to mention his eyes were bloodshot and every movement his body made just screamed how tired he was._

"_You haven't been sleeping."_

_I smirked a little to myself. Carlisle wasn't going to dance around this issue._

"_Um…no…" Edward muttered._

"_Care to share why?"_

_I could hear the cushions of Edward's chair squeaking as he shifted around, no doubt nervous._

"_It's…it's my dreams…" Edward said quietly._

"_What about your dreams? What happens in them?"_

_Edward let out a frustrated sigh, "They're…they're so real, and lately people from work have been popping up in them."_

"_All right," Carlisle said calmly, "Can you give me an example?"_

"_Well…" Edward hesitated, "You were in one of them."_

"_And what happened in that dream?"_

"_We were in London, maybe in the sixteen hundreds or something…our clothes were from around that time period. My…my name was Anthony and I was married to a girl named Marie, but in my dream your name was still Carlisle and you had a British accent and blue eyes."_

_My eyes went wide at that, not knowing that he had dreamt of a human Carlisle. I heard Jasper gasp, but he remained silent so we could hear Edward speak some more._

"_In the dream, I was visiting your house with my wife, that girl named Marie, and…and you helped us to get married and were arranging for us to leave London."_

"_I see," Carlisle replied in his doctor voice, "Can you tell me about Marie? Is she also a patient here?"_

_Edward paused for a long time. I wondered if this was like the whole Belle and Robert thing and if Marie was Bella too. _

"_No…" Edward finally answered, "She's not."_

_My brows furrowed in confusion. I felt like my visions were malfunctioning or something. Not only was I trying to watch over all of our family members, but I was also watching the Denali clan, the nomads, the Volturi, and also Bella and Edward. My sight was stretched pretty thin and I felt like I was missing things. Edward was probably telling the truth. This Marie person could have been someone from his Chicago life, and as far as I knew, Edward and Bella had not met yet._

"_All right, what about your other dreams?"_

"_Um…" Edward swallowed, "Well, Jasper Platt was in one of my dreams."_

"_Okay, and what happened in that dream?"_

"_We, uh…we were soldiers in the Confederate Army."_

"_The Civil War?" Carlisle asked, and from the little rise in his tone of voice I could tell he was a bit surprised._

"_Yeah…it was me, him, and a guy named Jacob that I've never seen before."_

"_All right…and what happened in the dream?"_

"_We were riding horses and we got ambushed. Jacob got shot in the abdomen and I was shot in the shoulder. Jasper pulled Jacob onto his horse and we rode away. We tried to help Jacob but he died in Jasper's arms on the ground."_

_Jasper gasped loudly, and I knew this was the moment he was starting to remember pieces from his human life._

"_After we lay Jacob on the ground," Edward swallowed heavily again, "Jasper told me to go back home. To go back to the girl I loved, to go back to protect the farm, and to take care of my shoulder and avoid the big cities in Texas."_

"_Oh my God…" Jasper said quietly. I sighed and wished I could go to him right now. He remembered everything Edward had just said, but I knew the frustration would soon set in when he couldn't remember anything else._

"_Edward," Carlisle said, "Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but that's included in the back-story that Jasper gave you about himself during his first session with you?"_

"_That's true," Edward said quietly._

"_And the dream that I was in…that was after we first met?"_

_Edward was quiet so I assumed he nodded._

"_Well…" Carlisle said slowly, "It sounds to me like your subconscious is projecting things from your work life into your dreams. Perhaps you have been too focused in work and are literally carrying the work around with you everywhere?"_

"_I guess," Edward said casually, probably shrugging, "I don't read too much into the theories about dream interpretation."_

"_Yet your dreams are keeping you from sleep," Carlisle responded._

_Edward didn't respond to that._

"_Edward, as you know, dreams are our subconscious thoughts. Your thoughts recently have been filled with working on Jasper's initial case study. You have been working hard on diagnosing Jasper, and you do your work from home. You don't have any breaks or time for yourself. Do you see what I'm saying? You take your work home with you and don't give yourself any distance or any time to self-soothe."_

"_I want to do my best to help my patients out," Edward mumbled._

"_I know that," Carlisle said, most likely with a small smile on his face, "but as doctors working in this field, we also need to take time for ourselves every day and make sure that we ourselves are okay. We need to take time to distance ourselves from work and unwind."_

"_I go jogging in the morning."_

"_Well, the jogging is good. It's also keeping your drinking at bay. I think now you should try looking into different activities for the end of your day. Maybe come home and listen to some music or read a book or watch some television. Maybe switch your run to the evening. Just something to help you unwind."_

"_I'll consider it."_

"_I'm serious, Edward. You need a break at the end of each day…all of us in the helping professions do. Just a block of time at the end of the day for you and no one else."_

_I had a vision of Edward deciding on watching some television tonight. Who knew he would get such a kick out of _The Big Bang Theory_? Well, I did now…and it was good to see him laugh. Hopefully he would stick to Carlisle's suggestion…though sadly nothing had changed really. I still saw the vision of him freaking out in Carlisle's office about working with Bella. Judging by the length of his hair, we still had some time. _

"_I'll try it out tonight, Carlisle."_

_The end of Edward's session came and after agreeing on their next meeting, Edward went back to his office to prepare for our session. Carlisle's voice caught my attention quickly._

"_Jasper…Alice…we need to talk before you two go hunting tonight."_

"I remembered all of it once Edward started talking," Jasper said quietly, "Just like Carlisle remembered."

In all honesty, I had not seen Carlisle remembering anything of the events Edward spoke of, but he remembered them vaguely. He remembered helping friends named Anthony and Marie, but he couldn't remember what became of them, and he certainly didn't remember that they looked exactly like Edward and Bella with different hair colors. Once Edward spoke about his dream though, that specific memory came back to Carlisle. When Jasper and I asked what he thought was going on, he had no answers for us. Carlisle was thinking there was some sort of reincarnation going on, after all, if vampires existed than reincarnation was totally possible, but the fact that Edward dreamt of moments from both Carlisle and Jasper's human lives was just baffling. Also, now that Carlisle and Jasper vaguely remembered the stories Edward had told, we were even more confused given the fact that Anthony and Robert looked exactly like Edward.

"That was night Maria found me you know," Jasper said quietly, "After Jacob died in my arms and I sent Robert back to our homes. They must've smelled Jacob's blood on me as I rode back to Galveston."

I didn't say anything. I sort of thought Jasper might really need the therapy to help him come to terms with the things he had done while he lived with Maria and fought her wars in the South. Maybe Carlisle would be able to help him. I didn't think Edward would accept it too well if Jasper starting talking about fighting in vampire wars in addition to believing he was from the 1800's. All I was positive of, was that Jasper never had to be that man again. His blood lust was under control, and he was comfortable in our "vegetarian" lifestyle.

"Alice…why didn't I remember before? Why now?"

"I don't know, Jazzy," I said quietly, "Even I can't see the answer to that one."

We were quiet for some time after that. I used my vision to check in on the rest of the family. Emmett finally killed the bear he had been toying with and was enjoying his meal before attempting to find another predator (they really did taste better). Carlisle was doing rounds at the hospital making sure no one noticed that Jasper and I were gone. Esme was in his office keeping track of where the security guards were. I got a quick glimpse of Rosalie. It wasn't much but I saw that Tanya Denali was forcing her to drink from a caribou that they had caught. I didn't even want to know how Tanya got that thing into the house alive. I had no visions of the nomads…not even the dirty blonde male or the one with the dreads. It made me wonder just what the red head was up to…and how she knew of my ability.

Edward began to stir. I shut down his computer and walked out of his office and into the living room. I had zero desire to check on Edward to see if he was okay. He was dreaming about Isabel tonight, and the Spanish was rolling off his tongue between moans. He ended up not watching _The Big Bang Theory_ tonight. Our session together threw him for a loop and resulted in him going on a little bender, and spending the night with Jack Daniels. Carlisle was not so pleased about that one and told me to keep my playing up my ability to a minimum. I decided to sing some Backstreet Boys in my head to ignore the sounds I was hearing coming from his room.

That was something else that was bothering me. When Edward spoke of this girl, Marie, from his dream, he claimed to have no idea who she was. Carlisle said Marie looked exactly like Bella except she had red hair, and Jasper said Belle looked exactly like Bella but with blonde hair. Edward hadn't met Bella yet, but I knew he had his sexy time dreams about Marie and Belle. Was it reincarnation like Carlisle thought, and Edward's body was remembering Bella even though his conscious mind didn't? It was a lot to take in, and so much of the future as well as the present was riding on Edward and Bella's meeting. I thought back to my own meeting with Edward.

"_Good morning, Dr. Masen," I smiled as he opened the door to his office. _

_I knew Edward was going to be a little stunned as most humans were when they looked at us. It was all part of what made us the most effective hunters in the world. Everything about us could draw our natural prey to us. Humans couldn't resist our inhuman looks. It was what drew them in. Of course, we didn't hunt humans, but it didn't stop them from being attracted to us. Many a nurse at the hospital had a crush on Carlisle and Rosalie had been no different before she left._

"_Um…good morning, Mary."_

"_Call me Alice."_

"_Sure, Alice. Please come in."_

_I skipped by Edward, knowing this session was going to be more of shock to him than anything else. I just wished I knew what his session with Bella was going to be like. I sat in the chair and folded my tiny frame up into it. My smile was making Edward uncomfortable to I dialed it down a bit. _

"_I'm quite happy this morning, Dr. Masen."_

_Edward blinked his eyes at me and I knew he was a bit confused since he was just about to ask me how I was. _

"_Um…That's good, Alice. And you're adjusting to being here in Forks all right?"_

_I nodded, "Can't complain. And I don't need anything to be comfortable and I certainly like talking with Jasper Platt and Isabella Swan."_

_I heard Carlisle tell me to tone it down with my visions. Jasper agreed, saying Edward was getting confused._

"_Well…" Edward cleared his throat, "You seem to have everything answered before I ask. Tell me, Alice…why are you here in the hospital?"_

"_Oh," I smiled, "That's easy silly. I can see the future, and you better put the cap back on your water bottle."_

"_And…why should I do that, Alice?"_

"_You're going to knock it over when you stand up at the end of our session and it's going to soak your notepad."_

_Edward looked at the cap and the bottle, both lying on the table, but chose to leave them where they were. I shook my head. He'd regret it later._

I broke out of my memories when I heard Emmett running through the trees and said he was going to venture a little further north than he would usually go. He caught the scent of a mountain lion and wanted it. Jasper and I both told him to go, and I saw he had another exciting fight coming his way. Esme was going to be mad…he was wearing the shirt she bought for him for Christmas; a vintage Rolling Stones tour t-shirt. I leaned back on Edward's sofa and sighed. His dream tonight was a long one apparently. His drunken stupors always seemed to leave him with the longest dreams. Just as I started to wonder if maybe they weren't so much dreams as they were memories a vision came screaming into my mind, and I couldn't even scream for Jasper because as soon as I opened my mouth he was already taking off into the woods after the red head.

The nomads were here.

Before Edward could even take a breath, I was standing in his room. He was still sleeping in his bed, speaking Spanish as he made love to "Isabel" in his dream. My eyes scanned quickly around the room seeing nothing. Jasper was getting further and further away as he chased the red head and I heard him shout for Emmett. I hoped Emmett would hear him. He was almost to the mountains in pursuit of that mountain lion he smelled earlier. My head snapped to the window and I moved noiselessly to stand over Edward. My movements were so light I didn't even jostle him from his slumber. The other two nomads were stopped in the yard. I could smell them and heard one of them start to laugh menacingly. It was the dirty blonde one.

"Red rover...red rover…" He said slowly, "Won't you send Mary Alice Brandon right over?"

If my heart beat and blood ran through my veins, it all would've frozen in that very instant. He knew who I was.

"Mmmm…cell number eleven. Padded walls, no windows, solitary confinement…"

I crept closer to the window, trying to listen to the nomad and keep an eye on Edward. When I got to the window I saw him standing there, just in a pair of jeans that hung low across his hips. The one with the dreads was in a maroon suit, leaning against a tree like he was bored. I could feel my spine tingling. This nomad somehow knew my human life. I didn't remember it all…but Carlisle was positive I must've been in an institution when I was changed. Did this nomad know what happened to me? Was…was he there? A wide smile spread across his face when he saw me in the window.

"Won't you come out and play Mary Alice?"

"I'd rather not," I said shortly, "And how do you know my name?"

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, "Oh, Mary Alice…I've been waiting for you for a long time. I should have had you too…back in the year nineteen-twenty down in Biloxi, Mississippi."

I closed my eyes and shook my head. I knew I had woken up in a forest and eventually discovered that I was in Biloxi, Mississippi. How could he have known all this?

"How do you know all this?"

"Why don't you come outside and find out?" the nomad grinned.

I looked back at Edward. I saw that if I went outside, it would result in me fighting with this dirty blonde who kept taunting me. The one with the dreads would stay put, watching on in amusement, and the red head was still running from Jasper, this time through the trees overhead. Emmett was running back towards Edward's house. I didn't see the outcome, but I knew I could hold off this nomad until Emmett got here. I took a deep, unnecessary breath, and jumped out the window. I landed in a crouch, my eyes immediately finding the blonde.

"All right," I nearly hissed, "I'm outside. Now tell me."

He just laughed. I saw the one with the dreads roll his eyes.

"Now come on, James. Stop teasing the girl. Put her out of her misery."

"You haven't been waiting ninety years for this, Laurent," the one apparently named James growled at the one named Laurent.

Laurent gestured his hand in that lazy way that meant, "Continue".

"Tell me," I said, letting out a little growl of my own.

James laughed, "The old one sure turned you into a fierce little thing didn't he?"

I blinked at him, not letting him see any of my emotions.

"Oh he loved you," James laughed, "That old night guard. Genius really…a vampire posing as a night guard in an insane asylum. He had excellent control too, so it was a perfect place for him. He could feed on anyone he wanted, and when the doctors found the patient freaking out the next day, insisting that a vampire had bitten them, they were just written off as crazy because they were in an asylum. Oh, but not you Mary Alice. He could never hurt you. You were like his dear, little pet. His and that damn human doctor…the one who was getting ready to go fight in the war."

I silently prayed Emmett would get here soon, but not so soon that I couldn't hear what James had to say.

"Little Mary Alice Brandon, dumped in the asylum by her parents because of her premonitions."

I gasped at that. I had the visions when I was a human too?

"Oh yes," James nodded, "I know all about your gift. Your parents had the state declare you dead, and left you in that place to rot."

James inhaled deeply again.

"Oh, you had the sweetest smelling blood though. Even when you were all doped up on those drugs and a filthy mess huddled in the corner of your cell. Mmmm…I wanted you so badly."

James growled then.

"But the old one, somehow he knew. Somehow that damn human doctor knew too. The doctor had figured out there was a…beast feeding on the patients' blood. He knew the beast was coming for you next and the old one told him he agreed. The old one changed you before I could get to you. He knew I was coming and he rashly fed on the doctor too to gain strength before I got there. It didn't matter in the end. I tore him to pieces…shredded his body until he was nothing. I didn't know where he had stashed you, but I knew he changed you. I've waited ninety years to find you."

James' eyes narrowed on me then, and I crouched a little lower. He started to advance towards me, and soon we were circling each other. I was always mindful of Laurent, and tried to circle in a manner that kept James away from Edward's window. I would have time to sift through everything he just told me later. Now…now I had to protect Edward and survive, long enough for Emmett to get here.

"For ninety years, all I could think about was tasting your blood. For ninety years, I wanted nothing more than to find you and torture you the way the scent of your blood has tortured me all these years. To find you, and punish the old one for taking your blood away from me."

"Well, I'm right here," I challenged.

"Mmmm…well, I have to thank you as well, Mary Alice. You led me to another…one even more elusive than you. I couldn't believe it was her at first, but Victoria assures me that it is. You've also led us to the one that my mate wants more than anything else. And what Victoria wants, Victoria gets."

"Well, come and get me, asshole! I'm right here!"

That certainly spurred him into action and I barely had time to predict his moves as he lunged at me. He was quick and I was struggling to stay ahead of every swipe of his arms and claw of his fingers. I couldn't keep an eye on Laurent as I fought with James, but I saw the blur of the maroon color of his coat against the trees as James and I seemingly performed this little dance of death. I slashed out at him and got him in the chest once and James roared. I heard Emmett yell in response and I knew he was getting closer. I saw James decide to go for my right so I dodged to my left, but only to find myself now trapped in a headlock. I screamed as James lifted me off the ground, and kicked my legs, but it was no use.

"Alice!" I heard Jasper yell, but he was too far away. He had lost the red head, Victoria, and was now running as fast as he could back to the house.

"Was that your lover?" James hissed in my ear, the pressure around my head growing, "Is he coming to save you?"

I clawed and struggled against James' arms. Laurent smiled, amused as he watched on.

"Please…" I tried to plead to him, but he just laughed.

"James, I'm bored with this. I shall find you and Victoria after my own little hunt."

I saw Laurent again in Port Angeles, praying on a young girl. If vampires could cry, I was sure I would've been in tears by now.

"Mmmm…what is your poor mate going to find when he returns? Shall I leave you in pieces strewn across the grass? Maybe your ash spread across the forest floor. What would your dear mate like best?"

"He'll kill you," I managed to get out between my teeth. "He'll kill you, you fucking asshole."

"Tsk tsk…such language for such a pretty thing."

I was about to respond but smiled instead, bracing myself for what was coming. A sound like thunder cracked through the air and as soon as I felt James' grip loosen, I tucked and rolled myself free and out of his grasp as Emmett tackled James to the ground. I was now leaning against the house as Emmett and James fought in front of me. James was much faster, but Emmett got his punches here and there, catching him by the ponytail, Emmett picked James up and threw him, splitting a tree in half. I grimaced. Edward was going to notice that tomorrow. Emmett crouched down in front of me as we both kept our eyes on James.

"You okay, Shorty?" Emmett nearly growled, his eyes never leaving James.

"I knew you'd come. Thanks, Em."

"Let's not make this a habit. I quite like your face, and I'm sure Jasper would like your head attached to your body."

We both hissed when James jumped to his feet. He dusted himself off and growled.

"This isn't over. None of you can stop me, and you can't stop Victoria. She'll get what she wants, and I'll finally get my Marie."

Before we had time to say anything else, James was gone, running through the trees. Emmett made to chase him, but I stopped him. All I could see was that he continued to run, no stop in sight. He was in Canada with Laurent and Victoria.

"Why are you stopping me? Let's get him before he gets away!" Emmett growled.

"I think it's a trap. He knows about my gift," I said quietly.

"Oh…" Emmett said slowly, standing up from his crouch, "Well, that sucks."

We both stood there waiting for a few seconds. Jasper would be bursting through the trees at any moment now. I looked up at Emmett and saw him frowning.

"Was it me…or did that James guy say he'll get his 'Marie' like Bella's alter-ego in Edward's sex dreams, or did he say 'Mary', like you being Mary Alice?"

I shook my head, "I don't know. It could've been either one. Though he must've said 'Mary'. I don't know why he'd want Marie…plus he would have to know all about Edward's dreams and all that stuff, and I just…no, he must've said Mary. It makes no sense for him to want Marie."

"Are you sure he doesn't want Bella?" Emmett asked.

I shook my head, "He kept talking about getting me."

I didn't have time to think about it anymore as Jasper burst through the trees and suddenly I was swept up in his arms.

"Are you all right?" He murmured.

"I'm fine," I sighed, leaning my forehead against his. I didn't like to get too romantic in front of Emmett. It just made him miss Rosalie that much more. Jasper was probably feeling Emmett's loneliness growing so he put me down.

"Thank you, Emmett," Jasper said shaking Emmett's hand.

"No problem, bro," Emmett smiled, "What happened with the red head?"

"Victoria," I informed Jasper.

"Victoria?" He asked, confused.

"Victoria is the red head, James is the blonde, and Laurent is the one with the dreads. Apparently he is also French," I shrugged. It made me wonder how old this Laurent was, being an African American male with a heavy French accent.

"How'd you find out?"

"I found out quite a bit," I sighed, wondering if what James had said was really true about my human life. When I tried to remember any of it, all I saw was darkness.

"Well," Jasper sighed, "I lost Victoria near the river. She's fast and even faster in the water."

I looked down and finally noticed that Jasper was all wet. It was a good thing we weren't human because the wind was picking up now and blowing harshly all around us. Jasper would've been sure to catch his death.

"Victoria!" Jasper suddenly hissed. Emmett and I both did the same when we caught the scent of the red headed vampire.

"It's coming from inside the house!" Jasper cried.

In a flash we were all inside Edward's bedroom. I dove back through the open window and Jasper and Emmett came barreling in his bedroom door not even a second later. We hadn't made a sound and fear gripped my heart when I realized Edward hadn't either. I let out a breath I didn't even now I was holding as I saw Edward lying in his bed, starting to softly moan in Spanish again. I looked up at Jasper and Emmett who were both relieved that Edward's heavy breathing and quickening heartbeat could be heard throughout the room. That wasn't the only thing that had our attention though. It was the white piece of paper that lay on the pillow next to Edward's head. Emmett and Jasper rounded the bed to stand on either side of me.

"She's playing with us," Jasper nearly growled.

"She knows I can't see her. James must've told her about my power and somehow she's blocking me," I said quietly.

Emmett sighed, "What are we going to do about this?"

"I don't know," I whispered.

Jasper slowly picked up the piece of paper and held his breath. I heard Emmett do the same. My eyes quickly scanned over Edward, making sure there were no cuts on his body. It didn't smell like his anyway.

"She wrote this in human blood," Jasper whispered.

"Where the hell did she get it?" Emmett asked.

"It…it smells like…like that Kingston creep," I said quietly. Victoria had made the decision so I never saw it happen.

"We need to call Carlisle," Jasper sighed, "We need to re-think this security detail."

Jasper and Emmett left the room to speak with Carlisle, while I stayed and watched Edward for a moment longer. I bent down and moved a lock of hair from his eyes. Sighing heavily, I stood back up.

"Why don't I see you, Edward? Why aren't you there after the ballet studio?"

I had no visions of Edward in the future after the big showdown in the ballet studio, and now I was wishing more than ever that I would get one. There had to be a way to figure this all out and figure out Victoria's plan. I didn't want the words she wrote on the paper to be true. After what I learned from James tonight, we knew for certain Victoria was after Edward, and she'd do anything to get him, including us in this big game of hers. As I closed my eyes, all I could see were the two words Victoria had written in that poor human's blood.

"_He's mine."_

**Well? Yes? No? Things are picking up and little things are coming together right? LOL, well, I'm heading back to the 808 today so posting times might be weird. I'm so happy to be on Christmas break. :-D **

**So…let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? Next chapter is probably the one most of you have been waiting for…next chapter Edward and Bella finally come face to face. Leave me some love, and maybe I'll get it out quicker. :-P **


	7. Ch 6:  Faint

**Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters.**

**A/N: Thank you for reading & reviewing! Hope you all had a very happy holidays, and Happy New Year! Apologies it took me a while…RL and all. **

**Special thanks to my beta eternally_addicted! She's the best! **

_**I can't feel the way I did before**_

_**Don't turn your back on me**_

_**I won't be ignored**_

_**Time won't heal this damage anymore**_

_**Don't turn your back on me**_

_**I won't be ignored**_

_**-Linkin Park, "Faint" **_

Chapter 6: Faint

**Name: **Swan, Isabella "Bella"

**Identifying data: **Bella is a 22-year-old Caucasian female born in Phoenix, AR. Her brother was killed in an accident when she was 6 years old and he was 8 years old. Her mother, a schoolteacher, was killed in a car accident when she was 11 years old. Her father was a police officer in Phoenix. He was killed in the line of duty. She was orphaned at the age of 18. Self-admitted to the Forks Hospital Psychiatric Ward.

**Appearance: **Bella appears well groomed and is dressed in the hospital issued attire. She is of average height and a thin build. She has no visible ticks or tremors, but may have a heat sensitivity problem, as her cheeks are often flushed.

**Presenting problem: ***Come back to this

_Developmental History_

**Pregnancy/Infancy: **Bella's mother had a normal pregnancy and Bella met all developmental milestones.

**Elementary school: **Bella says that from an early age, she did not relate well to her peers. She felt older than all of them, and she knew "things" that her other classmates did not. When she was 6 years old, Bella and her brother fell from a tree in their backyard. Bella broke her arm, while her brother was killed in the accident. He was 8 years old.

**Middle school: **Bella's mother is killed in a car crash with Bella as the passenger. The car crashed into a river and her mother drowned. Bella says she was barely pulled out of the car in time. She was 11 years old.

**High School: **When Bella was 18 years old, her father was killed in the line of duty. A young woman was almost raped by a group of young men, and Bella's father came to her rescue and chased all but one of the men off. The man that remained shot her father and killed him.

**College/Adulthood: **Having no other family to speak of, Bella headed off towards Dartmouth, before transferring to Northwestern, and then finally to the University of Washington. She dropped out a month ago and admitted herself to Forks Hospital.

**Current: ***come back to this

_Mental Status_

**Verbal: **speaks clearly and evenly

**Non-Verbal: **bites her bottom lip and twirls stands of hair

**Intelligence: **above average

**Mood: **calm and attentive, smiles and laughs often

**Perception: **Poor

**Sensorium: **alert and focused on the doctor, good eye contact.

**Memory: ***come back to this

**Thought Content: **Delusional thoughts

**Thought Process: **irrational

**Judgment: **poor

**Insight: **poor

**Eating: **enjoys cooking, says it's a "hobby"

**Sleeping: **non-restorative, only 5-7 hours a night

**Sexual Patterns: **says she is a virgin

**Drugs/Alcohol: **no drugs, no alcohol

_Multiaxial Assessment _

**Axis I:**

**Axis II:**

**Axis III:**

**Axis IV:**

**Axis V: **GAF=

_Conclusion: ?_

I honestly wanted to slam my forehead down on my desk, but decided Carlisle would probably frown on that sort of behavior considering I was still in my office at the hospital. I hadn't left the room since my session with Isabella Swan, and my regular office hours ended about two hours ago. I stared at her unfinished case study on my computer. I barely even knew where to begin. She had my head spinning from the moment I opened my office door.

_The knock on my door startled me from my thoughts. Last night I had a bizarre dream that there was a red headed woman hovering over my bed. I had no idea who she was and her eyes were blood red. It was something new, yet someone else that I didn't know who was popping up in my dreams. Carlisle had no theories on my brown-eyed girl, so I wondered what he would make of this new mystery person._

"_Come in!" I called, getting myself ready for my next session. To my surprise, it was Carlisle who popped his head in. I had forgotten about the new precautions._

"_Hello, Dr. Masen," He said politely. He always called me "doctor" now while we were in the work setting._

"_Dr. Cullen," I responded, "Good morning."_

"_I've come with your next patient, Isabella Swan. I just wanted to make sure it was a smooth transition."_

"_Ah," I nodded, "Well, bring her in."_

_Apparently we were taking extra precautions with the patients now. A doctor plus guards were to escort patients to and from any destinations and security supervision had been raised. Last night Ryan Kingston had killed__himself in an extremely brutal manner. He apparently had stolen a pair of scissors from the arts and crafts area without any of the nurses noticing and slashed his wrists before slashing his neck. I was told it was a blood bath, and the police were still investigating things when I arrived this morning._

_Carlisle smiled at me. "I think you'll really be able to help Ms. Swan, Dr. Masen."_

_I gave him a polite smile back, "I hope so too, Dr. Cullen."_

_Carlisle turned towards the door and gestured to someone to come inside. When I looked towards the door, I felt like I had been punched in the gut. My entire body felt like it was being pulled towards the door, but I held my ground. I blinked several times, but she looked exactly the same. I shook my head slightly and clenched my eyes shut. It couldn't be her…_

"_Dr. Masen, are you all right?" I vaguely heard Carlisle ask. _

_I opened my eyes slowly, but all I could see was her. My brown-eyed girl was here in my office…and apparently her name was Isabella Swan. I shook my head and took several deep breaths to focus._

No…it couldn't be her.

_When I looked at Carlisle, I noticed the concern on his face, and noticed that there was also a guard standing behind the brown-eyed girl. The guard also wore a look of concern. The girl, or rather, Isabella Swan was staring at me with wide eyes. I took a deep breath, knowing I had to get it together. I had never seen Isabella Swan before, so there was no way she could be my brown-eyed girl. Her hair was a mahogany, brown color, nothing like Isabel, Marie, or Belle. _

"_I'm fine, Dr. Cullen," I replied as calm as possible, "Um, welcome, Ms. Swan. Can I get you a bottle of water or anything?"_

_Isabella's cheeks flushed and her eyes darted down to the floor as she shook her head. She was a shy one...my brown eyed girls were never shy in my dreams. I shook my head slightly again…now was not the time to be thinking about such things. There was no way Isabella was…was them. _

"_Dr. Masen, I'll check in with you later?" Carlisle asked._

_I just nodded and went to take my seat. Hearing the door click shut I turned my gaze back to Isabella. She was sitting near the edge of the chair, but her body seemed relaxed. I was a bit startled to see that she was staring back at me, her chocolate colored eyes focused on mine. I noticed that her cheeks were flushed and she was chewing on her bottom lip. I tried not to think about the fact that my brown-eyed girls did the same thing in my dreams. I decided to call her "Ms. Swan", needing to keep things as professional as possible and not let my dreams get in the way of anything._

"_Well, Ms. Swan," I started, "How are you today?"_

"_Fine," came the soft, sweet voice that I knew from my dreams. I took another deep breath to calm myself. I was the doctor here…I needed to stay calm._

"_It says in your file that you admitted yourself to Forks Hospital Psychiatric Ward?" _

_Isabella's gaze turned toward her lap and she nodded silently. Carlisle had told me all of my cases would be a challenge. Right now, "challenge" seemed like an understatement. I sighed and picked up my pen and paper._

"_Do you mind answering some questions so that I may get to know a little bit about you?" I asked slowly. Isabella was a shy one and didn't want to scare her. "You don't have to answer all of my questions if you're not comfortable."_

_Again, Isabella just nodded. I took a sip of water, carefully replacing the cap. I had no desire for a repeat of what happened during Alice Whitlock's session._

"_All right, Ms. Swan, can you tell me where you were born?"_

"_It's Bella."_

"_Pardon me?" I asked. She spoke so softly I barely heard her._

"_Call me Bella please," she replied, looked up at me once again._

_I gave her a small smile, though my mind was freaking out on me._

"_All right..." I said slowly._

_Her answers were short, but I got the basic information out of her. She was 22 years old, born in Phoenix...had no living family members. I felt the pang in my chest as I listened to her tell me about her brother who died when she was 6, then her mother when she was 11, and finally her father when she was 18. It made me think that death seemed to follow this girl wherever she went. It made me think of some sort of supernatural story where everyone the main character loved or knew died. Even Ryan Kingston was now dead. I closed my eyes quickly and chased those thoughts out of my head. This was not some work of fiction, this was the poor girl's real life._

_I was shocked to find out that she had attended three different universities in the last four years. When I asked why she had done so, she didn't answer. When I looked at the timeline of her attendance at each school, they seemed to match the time that I was in each city. The only one that didn't match up was Dartmouth. That was also the shortest time she spent at any of the universities, save for the University of Washington. She had transferred there this semester but dropped out almost immediately after. Most of her time was spent in Chicago at Northwestern University. A small shiver ran through my body. Was it possible I _had_ seen her before? I dispelled that thought quickly. Chicago was a huge city and it was highly unlikely we were even in the same areas. _

"_All right, Ms. Swan," I said, finishing up some notes, "I want to ask you, can you tell me exactly why you think you are here?"_

_I wondered if she would actually answer me this time. I got nothing when I had asked her why she had admitted herself here at Forks Hospital. To my surprise, she answered._

"_I'm a great storyteller."_

_My brows furrowed, "Excuse me?"_

_Bella looked up and smiled at me, her brown eyes more alive than they had looked all day._

"_I'm a great storyteller, Edward."_

_I couldn't stop the small gasp that left my lips. Her voice sounded just like it did in my dreams. I coughed softly to try and cover up my gasp._

"_You may call me Edward or Dr. Masen, Ms. Swan. Now, you believe you are here because you are a great storyteller?"_

"_I asked you to call me Bella," She said with a frown. Before I could answer, she continued on._

_Bella smiled, "May I tell you a story?"_

"_Now, Ms. Swan, I am more interested in talking about you. I have no interest in hearing stories. I would like to hear about _your_ life."_

_I watched as Bella's eyes fell and her smile faded immediately. Her voice was soft again when she spoke, even tinged with a bit of sadness._

"_You don't remember me do you?"_

_Her question surprised me and I spoke quickly, "Now, Ms. Swan-"_

"_Don't worry…you will."_

_She stared into my eyes as she said it and she was so certain of her words. It made me swallow heavily. I felt it deep down in my soul…something was stirring, but I didn't know what it was. I took a deep breath yet again, figuring it was a sense of unease that I was feeling. My mind was buzzing with so many thoughts I was barely hanging on to my sense of professionalism. _

"_Ms. Swan," I said slowly, "During our sessions, I would like to focus on you. Perhaps during your free time you can tell stories to entertain the other-"_

"_I want to tell them to you!" Bella exclaimed, her voice the loudest it had been since she entered my office, "_YOU _need to hear them!"_

"_Ms. Swan-"_

"_I won't talk to you unless you agree to hear the stories!" Bella said defiantly._

"_Ms. Swan, acting that way really won't help you any. I am here to help you, and talking with me during our sessions will help."_

_Bella stared at me silently. I sighed._

"_Is this how you want things to go? You'll sit here silently during our sessions and I'll write down what I think is wrong with you and you won't get any better because you refuse to cooperate?"_

_Bella's eyes narrowed, "I don't need to get better. _YOU _are the one who needs to listen."_

_I felt my own eyes narrow slightly. My professionalism was slipping and I felt like things were becoming oddly more personal. I hadn't even realized that I had leaned forward at some point and so had Bella. I sat back and cleared my throat. Surely if I offered a compromise, Bella would agree._

"_I will agree to let you tell me your stories," I said, and Bella's mouth instantly spread into a grin, "However, you have to agree to work with me as well. I am here to help you Ms. Swan, and this…storytelling will be a reward for work well done. Does that sound fair to you?"_

"_How…how often will you decide whether or not I've…done well?" Bella asked slowly._

"_Once every other week," I answered, knowing that was about how often I was going reassess each of my clients anyway._

_Bella's eyes went to my window for a few moments, and she spoke softly to herself. "That should be enough time."_

"_Pardon me, Ms. Swan?"_

"_That sounds like a fair amount of time," She said sweetly as if I hadn't heard her just say something differently. I felt my eyes narrow again._

"_Very well, Ms. Swan. Once every other week, if I decide you have been cooperating, you may tell me one of your stories."_

_I called for one of the guards to come and escort Bella back to her room. As I used the phone at my desk, Bella continued to simply sit and stare at me, her brown eyes never straying. It felt like my tie was becoming too tight around my neck and I pulled at it nervously as I spoke to the head of security that was sending someone over now. When the guard finally showed up after what seemed like hours, I was barely able to plaster a polite smile on my face._

"_Until next time, Ms. Swan."_

_She smiled at me, "Remember, Edward."_

_I froze, having heard those words in my dreams before. Bella let out a little laugh._

"_Remember to call me Bella next time."_

I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my palms. Carlisle hadn't come by to check on me and I preferred it that way. I needed to be alone with my thoughts right now. I snorted to myself. I had been alone for almost nine hours now. My thoughts were still a jumbled mess, though I had been able to get through a good chunk of Bella's case study. I had a session with Carlisle tomorrow, and I was actually thinking I might take a week or two off. None of my clients seemed like they were in immediate danger of breaking down, but I would double check with Carlisle. I wasn't going to go far…I just needed to be away from the hospital for a little while to get my head straight. Bella wasn't the only client I needed to have my game together to work with.

My mind still buzzed with the memory of my session with Bella. I looked down at my lap in disgust…a part of my body clearly enjoyed my session with Bella. There was no other words to describe how I felt now…disgusted, dirty, vile…I was a doctor who got a boner from simply remembering his session with a client.

_But she's not just any client is she?_

No…she wasn't just any client. I could at least admit that much. Isabella Swan _was _the brown-eyed girl from my dreams. There was no denying it was her, no matter how badly I wanted to. Sure the hair color was different, but it was always different. Instead of blonde, red, or the color of black coffee, her hair was a mahogany brown…almost as if all three previous colors had been mashed together.

I let out a frustrated growl. This was just all sorts of unethical on my part. I was thanking the lord that I didn't get hard _during _our session. I lay my forehead down on my desk and tried to think of the most boner killing images possible so I could walk out of here and go home. I didn't know what I was going to say to Carlisle…but I was determined to keep working with Isabella Swan. As long as nothing unethical happened. I wanted to know where she came from, and get down to how I really knew who she was, and why I dreamt of her almost every night. I knew the answer would be here somewhere. It had to be.

With that new determination (and once again looser fitting pants), I turned off my computer and gathered my things to head home. Though I had been attempting to stay away from finding comfort with my friends Jack, Jim, and Jose, I was thinking tonight I would need at least a little bit of alcohol to numb my mind. It was too late to go running any way and I needed a way to clear my mind. As I stepped out of my office and locked up, I was surprised to see Alice Whitlock with two guards, and none other than Isabella Swan.

"Hi, Edward," Alice said cheerfully. Bella smiled, her cheeks turning red, but said nothing.

"Hello, Alice," I said pleasantly, "Hello…Bella."

Bella managed a soft, "Hello, Edward" in return.

"How come you're still here, Doc?" One of the guards, I believe his name was Matt or something, asked.

"Just finishing up some work," I smiled.

"Don't worry," Alice smiled, "I'm almost positive you'll figure it out."

"Alice…" Bella hissed, surprising me.

"Right," Alice nodded, "Anyway, have a good night, Edward. Don't drink too much."

I literally felt my face pale a bit. Alice Whitlock's supposed "psychic" abilities were at it again…and again being freakishly accurate. Alice tugged on Bella's arm.

"Come on, Bella. See you later, Edward. Sweet dreams," Alice said with a soft giggle.

"Good night, Alice," I barely managed to get out, still stunned from her drinking comment.

"Good night, Edward," Bella said quietly over her shoulder as Alice tugged her along with the two guards who also said good night.

"Good night…Bella."

By the time the words left my lips, she had already disappeared around the corner, and oddly, it felt like half of my heart had gone with her.

Later that night, I enjoyed some of Esme's chicken alfredo with a generous serving of some Jack Daniels. I had some random alternative songs playing from the sound system and my mind was starting to feel blissfully numb. Oddly, I didn't go for another serving of Jack…a little voice in my head telling me that maybe I should listen to Alice Whitlock's little warning. She had after all been right about the water bottle incident during our session.

Since I had left the hospital so late, it was much further into the night than I had imagined, so I headed to bed, knowing I would be in for quite the session with Carlisle the following day. I needed to have my shit together. Taking a quick, hot shower to relieve the sore muscles I felt in my back, I finished up my routine for the night and slipped on a pair of boxers before slipping into bed. My mind and body felt weary, and soon, I was fast asleep.

_The woods were warm despite the cover the trees provided. Little patches of sunshine slipped through, warming my cheeks if my step placed me in the right spot. I wanted to escape to the stream for a little while. My mother was busy making dinner and my father said he didn't need any of my help. I was happy being eleven years old, but knew that soon, I would need to start helping my father all the time, and learning the trade so I could be a man. My father had already given me many speeches about being a man, while my mother pestered him to let me remain a child a little longer. I whistled one of the Spanish folk songs I overheard my father singing with his friends last night. Summer is coming to a close and I want to take advantage of the warm weather while I can._

_The stream is crystal clear, and the grassy area surrounding both banks is full of summer flowers and butterflies. The trees don't cover the area, and the sun warms my entire body as I step out into the open. I look up at the sun to try and gauge how long I have. Deciding that I had a decent amount of time, a swim sounded like a nice idea. I slip off my shoes and clothes and jump into the water. It felt cool and soothing as the current washed over me. _

_Here, floating and swimming in the stream alone, I could be away from the thoughts that had been plaguing me earlier. I didn't like hearing that I would have to follow in my father's footsteps and become a blacksmith. I wanted to do something more...but there wasn't much I could do to rise from the status of blacksmith. It was the life I seemed to be destined for. I knew I should be thankful that I wasn't starving and I had a roof over my head. My parents loved me and I was healthy…I supposed there wasn't much else I needed, and the life of a blacksmith might not be so bad. My father certainly didn't mind. I continue to hum the song I heard my father singing as I splash about. The stream wasn't a bad place for a bath, and sure beat using the frigid water from our well. _

"_What are you humming?"_

_I jumped, startled by the soft, feminine Spanish that interrupts the peaceful calm I had surrounded myself in._

"_What are you doing here?" I demanded, sinking lower in the water to hide my naked body._

_Sitting near the edge of river is a girl, probably the same age as me, wearing a white dress. Her hair is dark, darker than the drink my father likes to partake in with his friends, and her brown eyes stand out against her pale skin. She seems like one of the more…wealthy children who live in town. She grins at me and stands up, placing her hands on her hips._

"_I come here to swim every day."_

_My eyes narrow, "I've never seen you here before."_

"_I've seen you," the girl smirks._

_I feel the color drain from my face, scared and embarrassed by what she may have seen. The girl tilts her head to the side, her brows furrowed._

"_You play with the snake between your legs a lot. My father told me boys' snakes are poisonous to girls. I don't understand how a snake can only be poisonous to girls. Is it not poisonous to you?"_

"_No!" I shout, my cheeks flaming in embarrassment. I had only recently discovered, by accident mind you, that playing with my…snake, as she called it, felt quite good. I sank further into the water so that it was almost to my chin. I wanted to keep my snake out of this girl's view. She continued to stare at me with her brows furrowed, as if she was deep in thought._

"_Have we met before?" She asks._

_I snort, "Obviously not! Although you apparently spy on me every day."_

_The girl's cheeks turn a dark red. "Well…I mean…have I seen you around town? Do you remember seeing me before?"_

_I shake my head. "No. I've never seen you before today."_

"_Do you mind if I swim with you?" She asks, changing topics suddenly._

"_I…what…I…NO!" I stutter out._

"_I'll stay on this side of the river. It is much too hot a day to stay away."_

_I swallow heavily, "I…I suppose that would be all right."_

"_Close your eyes and don't watch me," The girl says sternly. _

_I nod and close my eyes. I hear the rustling of fabric, and I cannot resist a peek. My eyes had never fallen upon a naked girl before, and I wondered just how different we were. I crack my eyes open and see the girl standing sideways, folding her dress neatly. She is thin, and her skin is so pale it is almost the color of milk. Though they are small, I notice she has curves where I do not. She starts to turn and I snap my eyes shut. I hear her splash in the water and soon she speaks._

"_You can open your eyes now."_

_I open them and see that she is now submerged in the water up to her neck._

"_Stay on your side and keep your snake away from me," She says seriously, "I don't want to get poisoned."_

_I nod, not wanting to poison her either. I would have to talk to my father about this whole poisonous snake thing. It didn't really look like a snake, so already I was confused about what the girl was saying. I decide to just trust her._

"_What is your name?" I ask._

"_Isabel," the girl smiles, "What's yours?"_

"_Eduardo."_

_Isabel smiled widely, "Are you a good swimmer, Eduardo?"_

"_I am," I reply._

"_Do you think you can hold your breath longer than me?"_

"_Yes," I said confidently._

"_Shall we find out?"_

"_On the count of three," I grin, "One…two…three!"_

_I dive under the water and am greeted with a bright white light. Startled, I push to the surface, but when I open my eyes, I am no longer in the stream. I am standing in a parlor, decorated with candles and flowers._

"_Are you ready Anthony?"_

_I glance to my left and smile, my words coming to me automatically. "I've never been more ready, Carlisle. Nothing has ever felt so right in my heart."_

"_Love conquers all, Anthony," Carlisle smiles at me. I remember the first time he said these words to me. It was after I came to him for help. Marie was a servant girl in our household, and though I was expected to marry another, there was no one in this world I loved more than Marie. _

_Though many forbade our love, Carlisle never wavered in his support of Marie and I. Marie's friends Angela, and her husband Ben, were also servants in our household, but they were trusted. They also supported Marie and I, and all were helping us prepare to make our journey out of London and away from those who wished to keep Marie and I apart. Carlisle's friend, a boat captain named Jeremiah, was taking Marie and I out of London. Marie was doubtful, but she trusted me to make the right decisions for us. Carlisle was marrying us in secret, having recently taken over as Pastor for his aging father._

"_It's time," Carlisle smiles, the clock in the hall chiming and letting us know the hour was upon us._

_Angela and Ben were sitting in a couple of chairs and what seemed like hundreds of candles were flickering, giving the area in which Carlisle and I stood a warm glow. Carlisle's parents were not in London and he was marrying Marie and I in his parlor. In a few days we would meet again to go over plans for sneaking Marie and I out of London._

_My breath leaves my chest as Marie steps around the corner. I had never seen her look so lovely. Angela was also a talented seamstress, and when Marie and I told her of our intentions to marry each other, Angela promised Marie a beautiful wedding gown. Angela had not failed. _

_The dress was a beautiful ivory color, with plum and gold lace around the top. I could see flowers in the pattern of lace that covered her shoulders and chest. I would not be able to thank Angela enough. The dress was perfect. The skirt seemed to float around Marie with every step that brought her closer to me. Even through her lace veil, I could see Marie's brown eyes sparkling with moisture. I extended my hand to her, her arms covered in white gloves that extended to her elbow, and helped her take the last few steps to me. I could feel my own eyes prickle with tears. We were really here, about to become man and wife. As Marie came to stand next to me, Carlisle gives us both a happy smile. _

"_Anthony and Marie," Carlisle smiles, "It is with great happiness that I stand here before you today."_

_Marie and I glance at each other, our smile identical. Carlisle performs a traditional Anglican ceremony, and I feel nothing but happiness in my heart as Carlisle says Marie and I are now husband and wife. Marie and I smile at Carlisle, and I turn and smile at Angela and Ben as well. Our closest friends were here with us, celebrating our love, and doing what they could to make sure Marie and I were happy together. _

_As I lift Marie's veil, I can't help but let a tear slip out. Marie's cheeks were streaked with tears, but I had never seen her look so happy. _

"_I love you, Anthony," Marie murmured._

_I lean forward and press my lips to hers, sealing our bond as man and wife. I lean my forehead against Marie's, breathing a sigh of complete happiness. _

"_I love you, Marie. Forever."_

"_Forever," Marie whispered._

_Our lips came back to each other then, my hands coming up to cup Marie's cheeks. I felt warmth and love surround me, like I was being enveloped in a white light. When I sighed and opened my eyes, I was in a bedroom, lying on my back, and it was Belle that I held in my arms. We were lying in a large bed, with sunshine streaming in through the windows._

_Belle's small hand rubs my bare chest. "Shall I make us something for breakfast?"_

_I run my hand through her blonde hair, smirking up at her._

"_I think I'd rather just stay in bed with you all day."_

_Belle laughs and slaps my chest, "You are insatiable, Mr. Masen."_

"_Mmmm…you say that like it's a bad thing, Mrs. Masen. Come on…spend the day with me. Your mother and the others won't be back until tomorrow."_

_Belle leans over so her top half is pressed against mine. Her lips press against my chest before traveling over to where the puckered ugly scar lies near my shoulder. I shiver as her lips press a soft kiss there as well. _

"_Do you know how happy you make me?" She asks, sitting up to look down at me. Belle traces the planes of my face softly with her fingertips. "I love you, Robert."_

_I catch her hand in mine and place a kiss into her palm._

"_I love you too, Belle Masen."_

_Belle smiles, "I'm so happy you came back to me."_

"_I promised you I would."_

"_I was so scared when you first came home…there was so much blood…" Belle says sadly. She always got a sad look in her eyes when she spoke of that day. The day I came home without Jacob or Jasper. I found out days later that the Whitlocks received a memo telling them that Major Jasper Whitlock was declared missing and presumed dead. _

_I cup Belle's cheek in my hand. "Shhhh…I'm here now, love. I won't leave you again."_

"_You cheated death to get back to me," Belle says quietly. I had to agree. In a sense I did. I survived when countless others did not. I just hum in agreement. Though we hadn't actually seen much battle, there were still ambushes and men who were shot and killed from our battalion. And I would never forget Jacob…at night he still haunted my dreams sometimes. Always whispering, "remember" to me, but never really sure of what it was I was supposed to remember._

"_And now you'll always be here with me," Belle murmurs, breaking me out of my darkening thoughts._

"_Always," I smile, "Stay here, love. I'll find us something to eat."_

_Belle giggles, "Should I be worried?"_

"_Of course not!" I scoff, "I'll find us something delicious."_

_Pulling on my pants that lay discarded on the floor, I head downstairs. The others were all staying with the Whitlocks so that Belle and I could celebrate our marriage. Her mother was so happy, but I feel a twinge of sadness. While I was gone, my mother died of pneumonia, and the Swans received word that my father was also killed in a battle up north. I try not to think of the war that has destroyed the lives of so many and instead focus on finding some food for my new bride. As I rummage through the pantry and kitchen area, I manage to find us some cheese, bread, apples, and some dried meat. _

_When I return to _our_ new bedroom, I find Belle sitting in front of her mirror brushing her long hair. I pause for a moment in the doorway, just watching her. The light from our window illuminates her and makes her look like an angel. It doesn't escape my attention that Belle is wearing my shirt and it is hanging off her shoulder in the most enticing way. I see Belle smirk at me in the mirror._

"_See something you like, Robert?"_

_I can't help but grin as I walk in with our tray of food. "Maybe."_

_I set the try down on our bed as Belle sets her brush down and turns and glares at me playfully. As she turns, my shirt slips off her shoulder a little more and I groan softly, the curve of her breast becoming visible. Belle's eyes trail over my body and she clearly sees the reaction my body is having towards her._

"_Maybe?" Belle says, standing up and walking towards me. She doesn't bother to adjust the shirt and I moan much louder when he breast slips out. Belle smirks and quickly pulls my shirt back up. She passes my body, brushing against me softly, pausing before she climbs on the bed._

"_Too bad…if you said yes, I probably could've put off eating breakfast for a little while."_

_I growl and grab her hips but Belle clucks her tongue at me._

"_Still your hands, Sir. I'm hungry and demand to be fed."_

_I try to pout and win her over but Belle is not convinced. She climbs on our bed and settles herself, leaning back against the headboard. She picks up a piece of cheese and pops it into her mouth grinning at me. I climb into bed and join her._

"_As you wish, my Belle."_

_Belle grins and leans over, placing a soft kiss on my lips, loving the five words I have always said to her since we were children. I may have been a servant, a slave some might've said, but Belle and her family never treated me as such. We sit and feed each other small bites of food. I am not as hungry as I thought and stop eating, and instead start slicing up the red apple for Belle to snack on. I lie down and finish cutting up the ripe fruit and placing it on the tray._

_To my surprise, Belle moves the tray and holds a few pieces of apple in her hand as she burrows down on the bed next to me. My shirt drapes over her body enticingly and I long to see her creamy skin that is hidden under the white cotton. Belle turns on her side and offers me a bite of apple. I snap at it playfully and Belle giggles before placing what remains of the piece in her own mouth. _

"_Mmmm…so sweet…" I moan, though my thoughts are far from the taste of the apple and instead are thinking of the taste of my wife's luscious skin._

_Belle smirks at me before picking up another piece between her fingers. "Do you think these apples taste sweet paired with…anything?"_

_My brow furrows. I'm not sure what exactly she's asking me._

"_Um…sure."_

_Belle leans over me, her chest pressing against mine, and I groan softly, longing for her soft skin instead of smooth cotton. I think Belle is going to offer me a bite of the apple, and when I open my mouth to accept a piece, she shakes her head at me. I frown at her._

"_Close," Belle says. _

_I do as she says, confused at what game we're playing. Belle traces the piece of apple against my lips, and I can smell the sweet juice from here. I groan as Belle leans down and kisses me…her tongue tracing my lips and nibbling and sucking lightly. I groan and bring one of my hands up to cup the back of her head, but as soon as I do, Belle moves, tracing the apple along my jaw and down my neck. Her lips follow and I moan, finding myself completely hard again._

"_Belle…what are you doing?"_

"_Exploring," she murmurs._

_I continue to moan and throb as Belle continues her "exploration" and uses the piece of apple to paint her trail for her lips to follow. Her lips press all over my chest, lingering on my ugly scar, before trailing over my heart and then down the lines of my stomach. I groan and feel myself twitch in my trousers the closer Belle comes the protrusion. I feel ready to explode and growl when Belle stops at the top of my pants and sits up._

"_Hmmm…there seems to be something in my way. Whatever shall I do?" Belle asks, an innocent expression on her face._

_I nearly growl again, my body so worked up and tense I can barely take it anymore. I move so quickly, I almost knock Belle off the bed, but thankfully she giggles as I kick my pants to the floor. Belle gasps quietly, my naked body on display for her in the morning light. I am hard and throbbing for her. I watch as Belle tosses the piece of apple to the floor and tentatively reaches a hand out to brush against my hardness as she bites her bottom lip._

_We had only made love twice. Once in the meadow before I left for the war, giving our virtue to each other, and last night after we married each other in front of God and our families. I moan as her fingers brush softly over me. Before Belle can blink, I move so that she is on her back and I am on top of her._

"_Robert!" Belle gasps. I growl and press my face into her neck, nipping and sucking at her skin. Belle giggles and pushes lightly on my shoulders. I lean up on my forearms and look down at her. Belle has never looked so beautiful…her hair splayed out behind her, her skin flush, her eyes full of love, and her mouth spread into a wide smile. I knew I could never survive without her again. I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips._

"_I love you, Belle…" I say seriously, but a smile stretches across my lips, "But now it's my turn to explore."_

_I lean on one side and slowly begin to unbutton the shirt Belle has on…my shirt. I couldn't deny that I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Belle in nothing but my shirt. If it weren't improper, I would insist she dress that way all the time. I moan softly when I push the shirt away to reveal her naked breasts. Her chest is rising and falling quickly, and the longer I stare, the lower her blush extends to her perfect breasts. I lean down and brush my lips over the soft skin. Belle moans softly, her hands flying to my hair and tugging as I suck her nipple into my mouth. _

"_Robert…" Belle moans, her body shaking and pressing against mine._

_I make my way down her body, reveling in the feel of her soft and smooth skin. Belle's body is quaking and I hear her whimpering as I nip and suck at the skin near her hipbone._

"_Robert…please…" Belle pleads. I myself can't take anymore and move so that I am pressed flush against Belle's body._

"_Please…" She whimpers again, and I lean down, pressing my lips to her softly. _

_I fight every urge in my body as I can feel the heat coming from the apex of Belle's thighs. I reach up and brush her cheeks softly. I want her to know how much I love her, how happy she makes me, and how much..._more_ this all is for me. Belle senses the change and she reaches up and brushes my own cheek._

"_You're my world," I whisper, "I'd be lost without you."_

"_I'll always find you," Belle whispers, "And I'm yours. I'll always be yours."_

"_I love you," I murmur, and repeat over and over, leaning down to brush my lips gently against hers._

_Moving slowly, I join our bodies, both of us moaning loudly as I sink into her once more. The air is filled with our moans and soft declarations of love for each other. Belle's body feels amazing, as if she was built just for me, her body welcoming me and fitting against mine perfectly. I lean up on my arms, wanting to see Belle beneath me. As I shift, Belle moans loudly, and I feel her become tighter around me. I still, confused, but Belle tugs at my shoulders._

"_Don't stop…more…" She pants. I instantly comply and am treated with another loud moan, as her womanhood seems to clench around me again. It feels so good, I'm sure that I cannot hold off my own pleasure from surging forth. I'm surprised as Belle nearly screams my name, her entire body going tense around me. I groan and shudder…my seed spilling from me as I continue to push myself in and out of Belle's tight body. I collapse…breathing hard and my body feeling completely spent._

_Eventually, I roll to the side, slipping out of Belle's warm embrace. We both whimper softly and as I lay on my back, Belle does the same. The room is full of only the sounds of our heavy breathing. I turn on my side to look at my beautiful wife. She is gorgeous in the sunlight, her chest still heaving with her breaths and her skin beautifully flushed and a slight sheen of sweat covering her. I lean down and kiss her cheek._

"_What was that, my love? Did I…were you…pleasured?"_

_Belle opens her brown eyes and looks at me, a smile on her face. "It was…Robert, I don't know how else to describe it. That was the most pleasurable experience I've ever had."_

_I smile and lean down and kiss her lips again lightly. "I'm glad, my love."_

_I continue to just gaze at my wife, my fingers slowly tracing over her soft skin. One of her hands finds its way to my hair and she slowly combs her fingers through it. I close my eyes and smile softly. This feels like heaven right here. As my fingers trail over her stomach, another thought comes to my mind. I was no fool…I knew how babies came to be, and the thought that Belle and I could have…that she might be carrying our child…well, the thought pleased me more than I ever thought._

"_What are you thinking about?" Belle asks me._

_I open my eyes and smile. "Do you think…I mean, do you think we're ready to have children?"_

_Belle's eyes widen marginally, but she continues to smile sweetly at me. "As long as you're with me, I think we can face anything."_

_My eyes go back to her stomach where my hand is resting. "A baby, Belle…do you think it will happen?"_

"_We'll just have to wait and see."_

_I lie back down, this time snuggling into Belle's side. My hand remains on her stomach and I sigh, feeling completely at peace with the world. Belle continues to run her fingers through my hair and kisses my forehead softly. _

"_Tell me a story, my Belle," I say quietly._

_I hear her chuckle softly. Belle had always been a good storyteller when we were growing up. She knew all kinds of stories about__faraway places and times long past. They were of battles and lovers and magic and curses. She knew so many stories, and I loved to listen to them, even when we were children._

"_Which would you like to hear about today? Perhaps the tale of Cigna and Murato? The story filled with battles, magic, and lovers? Or maybe we will take a tour of Spain?"_

"_Mmmm…" I hum, "Battles and magic and lovers."_

_I nuzzle her breast as I say lovers and Belle giggles again. She turns and curls herself around my body, holding me in her arms for a change._

"_The story of Cigna and Murato. It's one you'll never forget, Edward."_

I gasp loudly and sit up in my bed. The dreams had never been like that before. Never had they been a continuous stream. When I looked out the window, I noticed the sun was shining now, and could've sworn I saw something that looked like a diamond or something disappear into the shadows of the woods. I blinked my eyes and rubbed them, shaking off the last bits of sleepiness. I groaned when I looked down, once again finding a mess in my boxers. I rubbed the palms of my hands vigorously over my face. The names at the end of the dream stuck out in my head. My Italian was a little rusty…but I was certain "cigna" meant "female swan" and "murato" sounded like "muratore" which meant, "mason". _Swan and Mason…Swan and Masen?_ I shook my head. My mind was playing tricks on me again. As I gingerly made my way towards my bathroom and shower, I froze in the doorway. Two thoughts played through my mind over and over again.

_What was I going to say to Carlisle and with dreams like these, how was I going to work with Bella Swan?_

**Well? Yes? No? Bella and Edward have finally met. If you're disappointed, fear not, the next chapter is from Bella's POV, and she'll have some of the answers you may be looking for. :-D**

**Let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? :-D**


	8. Ch 7:  Mad World

**Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters**

**A/N: Thank you for reading & reviewing! Now, to give you guys a different view on things, I give you Bella and Alice's POVs. :-D**

**As always, special thanks to my beta eternally_addicted. She keeps me in line. :-P**

**And okay, I know Tears for Fears, Michael Andrews, and Gary Jules all sang the song originally, but come on, Adam Lambert freakin' owned this song on AI…and I kinda love him. :-P **

_**All around are me are familiar faces**_

_**Worn out places, worn out faces**_

_**Bright and early for the daily races**_

_**Going nowhere, going nowhere…**_

_**And I find it kind of funny**_

_**I find it kind of sad**_

_**The dreams in which I'm dying**_

_**Are the best I ever had**_

_**I find it hard to tell you**_

_**I find it hard to take**_

_**When people run in circles**_

_**It's a very, very, **_

_**Mad world**_

_**-Adam Lambert, "American Idol" Season 8, "Mad World"**_

Chapter 7: Mad World

_**BPOV**_

It's dark now…another end to another day. The light in the parking lot down below illuminates the rain as it falls against my window. Carlisle allowed me to move my bed so that I could sit and look out the window if I wanted to. I wasn't sure why he was so hesitant at first, but he permitted me to do so. There also wasn't any protest from Edward.

_Edward._

I sighed and rested my forehead against my knees that I had drawn up against my chest. I wasn't sure how much longer I could go through this. I found some comfort in this life, knowing that Carlisle and Jasper were here with me, but everyone else…everyone that I had ever loved in my life was gone. The only one who remained was Edward…and he didn't remember me. Not at all. I swallowed heavily to stop the sob that threatened to break out from my throat.

_How much longer can I go on? Doomed to an eternity like this._

I opened my eyes and stared the few pictures I kept with me. Some were personal pictures and others were ones that I had cut out from the newspaper. My eyes landed on the picture of my family first. It was of all four of us in front of our modest two story home in sunny Phoenix. It was the last picture we had ever taken as a family. My brother died two days later. In the picture my father was in his police uniform, his mustache curving upwards with his smile. My brother and I shared the same brown eyes with my father, a respectable man named Charlie. My mother, a school teacher named Renee, was who my brother and I took after in the looks department. I could feel the tears collecting in my eyes.

_Was I ever going to see my family again? My _real_ family…_

The tears slipped down my cheeks as I looked at the next picture. It was taken the same day as our family portrait, except this picture was of just my brother and I. I traced the lines of Dean's face. He didn't even make it past the age of 10 this time. I traced the dimples in his toothy grin and remembered how handsome he was when he was Jacob's age. The dimples had remained over the years, and I remembered our tearful goodbye and his promise to look after Robert. As I looked out the window, I remembered how my brother and I used to sit and try to count the raindrops as they trickled down. I thought about the day that Dean had died, falling out of the tree in our backyard. Something red, I think it was a cat (my 6 year old eyes couldn't be sure), moved so quickly it was like a blur and startled my brother, causing him to fall and break his neck.

My chest got tight as I remembered the way my mother and father had been killed in this lifetime. I was in the car with my mother during the car crash that claimed her life. I had been looking down at a book and heard my mother scream before the car swerved and we landed in the river. The police were never able to determine what made my mother swerve in the first place. And my father…my poor father. He never recovered after my mother's death this time, and he was killed trying to do the right thing and save a girl's life.

_I am doomed. Doomed to suffer losing everyone I love._

I wiped my cheeks, not caring to think about how many nights I had spent in a position much similar to this one, hoping and praying that my love would come back to me safely. Edward seemed to remember me and not remember me at the same time. I thought for sure he did when I first walked into his office, yet he conducted a regular first time session with me like I was any other client. Though it did not escape my attention that he refused to call me, "Bella". I was happy that I got him to agree with letting me tell him my stories. It didn't seem like there was any other option for me in regards to making him remember me. I sighed and my chest ached. Edward remembered even less than he had before. I didn't want to think it…but part of me was sure that he didn't remember me at all anymore. That thought alone made more tears come. I had to make him remember before time ran out.

I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to convince Carlisle to help me in the end though. If he was the same man at the core that he was in the 1660s, I knew he would. Well, I prayed that he would. For hundreds of years, the answer to the riddle had plagued me, dragging me near the brink of full blown depression, thinking there was no way for me to solve the impossible question. Until an encounter in the 1960s in San Francisco shed some light on a possible answer. Now I was more positive than ever that vampirism was the answer to the riddle.

In the 1960s, I was a teenager named Daisy. My parents were very in to the hippie thing. I suppose I dabbled a bit in the lifestyle. As I was walking home from a party one night, I heard a scream and struggle coming from an alley about two blocks from my house. Deciding against my better judgment, I went to check it out. I was shocked to see what looked like a couple struggling…I was going to call for help for my fellow woman, but when I looked closer, I realized it was the woman who had the man in a headlock. Her crazy, curly, long red hair was all I could see as it looked like she was biting him. I must've let out a gasp or made some noise because her head snapped up, and the image that was burned into my mind forever was that of a impossibly beautiful face, but with evil red eyes, and teeth that gleamed crimson with blood in the light from the street. I ran away as fast as I could and never looked back. Two weeks later I was murdered on my way home from school. I never saw my attacker.

As with all of my lives, I remembered everything. I was born again in 1968, only to be killed in 1987. However, in my nineteen years of life, I did all the research I could on vampires. I mean, if reincarnation and curses existed, why couldn't vampires right? And that certainly had to be what the demon lady I had seen in the alley in San Francisco had been. She was drinking that poor man's blood. There wasn't a lot to be found in the 70s and 80s about vampires that didn't relate to Bram Stoker, his famous Dracula, or some show called _"Dark Shadows"_. There was talk of legends in the Filipino culture and Peruvian culture that spoke of men who drank human blood. There were even blurbs about succubi and incubi, demons who had sex with humans. The term that stuck out in my mind had been "stregoni benefici". The blurb was short and mentioned that "stregoni benefici" was a vampire that was considered "good" and a "hero" to scared humans in Italy. He was said to have pale blonde hair and unlike others, amber colored eyes. Unfortunately, an accident in the subway took my life before I could find out more or find my Mr. Masen.

When I was born again in 1988, I was thrilled by the invention of the Internet. While it still took time for information to hit the web, I was able to search for both more information on vampires, and also search for families with the last name of "Masen". I was stunned to hear about an "Edward Masen" who was considered a genius at the young age of 14. I looked at the newspaper clippings and printed articles that were currently spread across my lap. As I looked at a picture of 14 year old Edward Masen, I smiled. I would know those green eyes anywhere. I followed his career through the Internet and the newspaper the best I could. I knew when I turned 18, I was going to set off on my trek to find him. Little did I know that my father would no longer be a concern of mine, as by the time I graduated high school, I would have no family left.

I traveled to the cities that I always heard Edward had been in last. Unfortunately they were all big cities and I had trouble finding him. As soon as I felt like I was close, I would read an article telling me that he was somewhere else. It was when I was in Chicago a few months ago that I got the biggest shock of my life. An article in the paper talked about Edward's mother's illness and Edward going to Washington to seek the help of specialists there. I dropped my coffee when I saw pictures of all the doctors on staff. In my haste and shock, I didn't even bother to check what hospital they were at. All I saw was the face of Marie and Anthony's friend, Carlisle Cullen, and took note of his pale blonde hair and amber colored eyes. Knowing that Edward was at the hospital with Carlisle, and I figured that Carlisle had to be "stregoni benefici" that I read about on the Internet. I headed to Washington as soon as I could. I knew he had to be the same Carlisle from the 1660s…afterall, how many people were named "Carlisle Cullen"?

I never thought I would find so much upon my arrival to Forks. It took a long time to come up with a plan to get in to talk to Carlisle. I hadn't even known that Edward had been in the hospital the same time as me, tending to his ill mother. Carlisle didn't remember me, but thought I definitely looked familiar. When I told him, he might remember me as "Marie", I thought he was going to faint. I told him as much, except that I assumed vampires couldn't faint. While I didn't tell him everything, I told him that I knew he was the same Carlisle Cullen from the 1660s, and that I was in fact Marie, describing the marriage he performed of Anthony and I in perfect clarity. Carlisle was stunned, but agreed to help me. If vampires could've passed out from shock, I was positive Carlisle would've done so…especially when he remembered Anthony and realized that Edward was Anthony. I knew having Carlisle on my side was certainly going to help…but I never expected his "family".

I had yet to meet his wife Esme, but I was certain I was going to love her. Emmett was scary at first, but he was very kind to me, and I sort of missed him now that he was constantly guarding Edward's home. Carlisle didn't speak much of Rosalie…simply stating she was Emmett's wife and taking time for herself away from the family. Alice was a ball of energy that I was slowly growing to love more and more each day. She could see the future, and I know I certainly caught her off guard the first time we met. She hadn't known that Carlisle had already divulged her power to me. I knew she was constantly trying to see the outcome of me and Edward's future…but she would always say with a sad tone in her voice that, "it's still the same." My biggest shock was seeing Jasper Whitlock again. When he confirmed that he was indeed the Jasper that Belle had said goodbye to during the Civil War, I couldn't believe it. I remembered the day the Whitlocks got the memo telling them that Jasper was missing and most likely dead. I did find some peace in learning how Jacob died. Out of all our lives, that was one of the ones where I had been the closest to my brother. Over all, the Cullen family was shocked, but okay with how accepting I was of their "special" lifestyle. I had yet to tell them about the riddle and curse, but I hoped they would understand and help Edward and I. They were the only ones who could.

I wiped my face and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost two o'clock in the morning. I had been starting to sleep less and less. My heart and my head couldn't take the pain that came with my dreams. Every night I dreamt of Edward…over the hundreds of years, we had only found each other three times, and every night I dreamt of the happiest days I had ever known. It was ridiculous, and maybe a little crazy, that I would rather live in my dreams…ones where I always ended up dead, but had been the happiest I have ever been. My dreams, even those where I relived my deaths, were better than the reality of my mental anguish and pain.

A soft knock on my door got my attention. I smiled, pretty much knowing who it would be. I whispered, "come in", and sure enough, my room was graced with the presence of Alice Cullen and a box of tissue.

"I thought you could use these," Alice smiled, walking over and placing the box of tissues on the bed in front of me. She cocked her head to the side as she looked at all of the things spread out on my bed in front of me.

"You look like your mother, but you have your father's eyes."

I just nodded, a twinge of sadness still tugging at my insides. Alice sat at the other end of my bed and tucked her legs up under her. It always startled me a bit, watching Alice and the other Cullens move about. Though they tried to hide it, there was still something otherworldly and graceful about the way that they all moved. Alice moved as if she were a ballerina. Carlisle was regal in his movements, like a king. Emmett and Jasper moved like prowling, jungle cats…graceful in their movements but with a hint of danger. It made me wonder a bit about Esme and what she was like.

"Did Edward tell you his decision?"

"What?" I asked, distracted by my previous thoughts.

"About taking some time off?" Alice said, her face neutral.

"Oh…yeah…" I trailed off. Edward was taking a week off from having any one on one sessions to get his cases organized. I knew he would be on call if he was needed, and would be coming in and out of the hospital, but I still felt like we were losing out on valuable time.

"You laid a lot on him, Bella. I told you he was going to need to take some time to get his thoughts together."

"I know…" I sighed, "I…it's just never been this hard before."

"What do you mean?" Alice asked. I still hadn't told them everything, but with each passing day, a nagging feeling in my gut was telling me I was going to have to tell the Cullens everything before Edward. Alice huffed.

"You're not going to tell me are you, Bella?"

I shook my head. "I haven't decided."

"Obviously," Alice replied, rolling her eyes.

"It's just so hard, Alice…" I whispered.

"Oh, Bella…you know we want to help you," She said, leaning forward and clutching my hand.

"But why isn't he in any of your visions, Alice? Why has nothing changed? _I_ don't want to be taken away to some ballet studio…Why am _I_ a vampire and Edward isn't? Why can't you answer me that, Alice?"

I could feel the tears pouring down my cheeks and soon found myself in a stone like, cool embrace. I let the tears come as Alice held me in her arms. My frustrations were hitting a high point today and my first meeting with Edward had not gone at all like I had hoped. Even when Alice and I ran into him in the hallway, he still acted like I was just another patient of his.

"Shhhh…" Alice cooed, "We'll save him, Bella."

"How, Alice?" I sniffled, "Why can't you see him?"

"I don't know, Bella…but we'll figure it out."

I shook myself from her embrace and sat up.

"He remembers even less than before, Alice."

"What?" Alice asked, her confusion obvious on her face.

I just looked down at my bed and felt the tears drip down my cheeks.

"Edward remembers even less of me this time than he did the last time that we found each other. I don't think he remembers me at all anymore. I shouldn't be surprised…no one else did either."

The last part was said barely above a whisper, and it felt like a part of my heart was breaking as I said the words out loud. Admitting that Edward, my Murato, had most likely forgotten about me was like giving up on ever finding a way out of this hell.

"Bella, what do you mean?"

"It's all part of the curse…" I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut to try and keep the tears at bay.

"What? What curse? Bella, what are you talking about?"

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," I said, standing up and swiping at my cheeks. I needed to be alone and needed time to think more about things.

"Bella-"

"I'm going to go take a shower. You'll be outside the door right?" I asked, going to collect my things and head towards the bathroom connected to my room.

Alice opened her mouth to say something else, but her face got that blank look that I had come to recognize as her having a vision. She snapped her mouth closed and stood up as well.

"I'll be right outside, Bella," Alice smiled.

I knew her smile was meant to be reassuring and say, "hey, don't worry, we'll figure this all out and save him," but all it did was make my heart ache even more. I closed the door to the adjoining bathroom and placed the new set of hospital-issued clothes on the counter in front of me. I was grateful that Carlisle was giving me a little more liberty than other patients while I was in here. I was allowed my privacy to bathe and take care of the usual feminine hygiene routines unlike other patients in the hospital.

I tried to use my time under the warm spray to think more about my plan for Edward. From my research on him, I knew he was born on June 20th 1985. He was going to turn 26-years-old this year, and now I only had a few more weeks to try and break the curse. He never lived past the age of 25, and I was already 22, so our time had become limited as soon as the clock had struck midnight on September 13th last year.

Climbing out of the shower, I reached for the white towel that hung there and began to dry off. As I moved, I caught sight of myself in the mirror and paused to look at my reflection. My skin was pale as it had always been, no matter how many hours I worked in fields or slaved away in a mansion's kitchen. I took in my long legs, all the way past the patch of brown curls, up my flat stomach, my round breasts, and finally up my slender neck to my brown eyes. I sighed and pat dry the remaining droplets of water that had managed to escape to my stomach. Would my body ever know the touch of my love again? Would I ever feel his large hands entwined with mine as he made love to me? Would I ever hear his voice whisper words of love and adoration in my ear as he held me in our bed and stared at the stars? Would my brown eyes ever look into his green ones again and know that he loved me beyond a doubt? Dreams and memories paled in comparison…

I could feel my own eyes prickling again and I crushed the towel to my face, willing my tears away. There had been enough tears shed today, and they weren't going to do anything to help me make Edward remember. I pulled the towel away from my face, taking a deep breath to calm myself. When I looked back up into the mirror, I screamed, seeing that my face was not the only one looking back at me.

When I whirled around, having some sense in me somewhere to grab the towel and hold it in front of me, there he was…perched outside of my window, leering at me. His mouth spread into a grin and his red eyes had me paralyzed. His mouth moved, forming words, and he raised his right hand to wave at me. Before I could scream or call out again, my world began to spin and I felt myself begin to fall and everything went dark before I hit the ground.

My last thoughts were of the words he had said and the symbol that was still burned into the inside of his right wrist. _"Hello, Bella,"_ was what he had said, but it was the symbol on his wrist that would be my last coherent thought. It was a circle with a fancy, scripted, singular letter in the middle…the letter M stood out amongst the fancy curls and swirls. It was the Masen family brand that all of their male slaves bore in the 1660s. James had survived…and he was a vampire.

_**APOV**_

Bella's scream came right in the middle of a vision I was having of Laurent attacking a worker down at the mill. I snapped out of it, realizing James and Victoria were not with him in the vision, and it could have very well have been a diversion to keep me from guarding Bella. It was mere seconds after her scream that I found myself in the bathroom, Bella passed out on the floor, and Jasper and Carlisle at my sides.

"Alice, put some clothes on her," Carlisle said, his eyes roaming around the room for clues. His eyes landed on the window.

"Jasper, come with me. Alice, take Bella to my office. We'll meet you there. The guards aren't patrolling right now so use your speed, but be careful with Bella."

We all used our speed and soon, I had Bella dressed and in Carlisle's office lying on a couch as Jasper and Carlisle returned from their search outside. I was just placing a bottle of water on the table in front of Bella when they returned.

"They were here," Jasper growled, throwing a plastic Ziploc bag on the table. I crept closer and noticed there was a piece of paper inside.

"The nomads were here? But I had a vision of Laurent down at the mill."

"It was just James and Victoria," Carlisle sighed, "I only caught two different scents."

"They're toying with us by exploiting your power. They know you can't see Victoria and split up, using Laurent or James to distract you," Jasper said, anger evident in his voice.

He began to pace as Carlisle knelt down and checked Bella for any injuries. It didn't appear that she had hit her head or anything when she fainted. I picked up the Ziploc bag and read the words written on the paper.

"_You can't save them."_

My head shot up, "What about Edward?"

Carlisle shook his head, standing back up. "Esme and Emmett both said everything was quiet around Edward's house. Esme has taken to sitting inside Edward's room and Emmett is always outside of the window to his bedroom."

"How are we going to stop them?" I whispered, "They could've taken Bella tonight and we wouldn't have known until it was too late. Laurent could've taken Edward when they attacked the house…I…I can't always s-see them…"

If I could cry, I was positive I would've had tears falling down my cheeks. The visions I had of Bella and I in the future made me so happy. She was my new sister and best friend. It wasn't that I wasn't close with Esme and Rosalie, but in my visions with Bella, it was just different. I could already feel our friendship growing even as she was still human.

"Darlin'," Jasper whisper, picking me up and placing me on his lap, "We'll figure this out…we _will_ save Edward."

"I still can't see him…" I said, closing my eyes and shaking my head.

I didn't get to wallow in my frustrations much longer because Bella's scream pierced the air in Carlisle's office.

"Jasper…calm her down," Carlisle said as he moved to her side.

"NO! NO! NO!" Bella screamed, sitting up and thrashing about.

"Bella? Bella, it's okay. You're safe," Carlisle said quietly, kneeling next to the couch. I went to stand behind him and tried to smile and make Bella realize she was safe with us. Jasper was working hard to calm her down as Bella looked around wildly with wide, scared eyes.

"I…I saw…in my window…" Bella stammered, "He was a vampire…"

I looked at Carlisle and Jasper and they both nodded minutely.

"He's after me," I began, "He tried to kill me when I was a human. He said I was his 'singer' and he stalked me in the asylum that I was in down in Biloxi. Another vampire worked there and he knew James was coming for me. A human doctor there also figured it out and helped get me out of the hospital. The other vampire turned me before James had a chance to get me. I guess James has been after me ever since…I was his singer that got away. He was denied of what he thought to be the most delicious blood in the world."

"A singer is a person whose blood calls to us more than any other. Think of it as smelling your favorite food in the entire world when you're absolutely starving," Carlisle said with a small smile.

"What year were you born, Alice?" Bella asked quietly, Jasper having calmed her down immensely.

"We're pretty sure she was born in 1901," Carlisle responded.

"In Biloxi, Mississippi?" Bella breathed, her eyes wide and staring straight ahead.

I gasped, seeing everything that was about to occur.

"You were in Biloxi?" I asked.

Bella nodded slowly, looking at all three of the vampires in the room.

"My name was Anne. I was born in 1901 in Biloxi to William and Elizabeth Swan. My brother's name was Garrett…" Bella trailed off.

"Alice, he was a doctor at the Biloxi Asylum."

Carlisle and Jasper's eyes went wide, and I closed mine in return. Sighing heavily, I listened as Bella went on to explain what I had already seen.

"My brother Garrett disappeared in 1919. He went missing the same time as another one of the workers and a patient. His…his body was never found."

I covered my mouth and kept my eyes closed. I wished more than anything that I could tell Bella what happened, but there wasn't a single part of my human life right before I was turned that I remembered. I only knew what James had told me.

"He was the doctor that helped Alice?" Jasper asked, shock evident on his face.

Bella nodded sadly, "He must've been."

We were all silent again. All of us were connected to past lives of Bella's. Well, maybe not all of us. If she was in Biloxi at the time I was human, then she couldn't have crossed paths with Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie.

"And, Alice? I don't think you are the only reason James is here. Actually, I'm positive you're not the only reason."

"Well, we know they also want Edward," Jasper said, "Do you know why they're after the two of you?"

I was positive that whatever it was had to deal with the stories that Bella had yet to share with us. The key had to be somewhere in these past lives that she had been a part of.

"Carlisle," Bella said slowly, "Do _you_ remember James?"

Carlisle's eyes widened, "James?"

Bella nodded and I watched as Carlisle's brows furrowed in thought. His human life was 350 years ago, and as it was, once we became vampires, memories of our human lives faded with time.

"Do you remember the night at the docks? When you were helping Anthony and Marie leave London?" Bella prompted.

Carlisle's eyes widened again. "Are you telling me that he is the same James from the 1600s? The servant who was in love with Marie?"

"What?" Jasper and I exclaimed at the same time.

"He was the one who killed me, and subsequently killed Anthony," Bella said quietly.

"How…how do you know? Are you sure?" Carlisle asked, shocked. "He…he was dead! I saw it myself!"

"I'm sure," Bella nodded. "He was who I saw in the window tonight. When he raised his arm to wave at me, I saw the Masen brand on his wrist."

"Masen brand?" Jasper asked.

"All the male servants, well, they were basically slaves, in the Masen household had them. So if they ever escaped, people would know who they belonged to. Male servants were very valuable."

Jasper's eyes darkened I swore I could hear him growling softly. He may have been born in Texas, but Jasper's family was one of the few who didn't believe in owning black slaves. The very idea appalled Jasper, and now, after everything we've seen in the past 100 years, he was even more against the idea of slavery and racism. I stepped quickly to his side and laced my fingers with his, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

Carlisle shook his head. "He was dead, Bella. I…"

"It's him, Carlisle. And now as a vampire, he's more powerful than he's ever been. He must be using his vampirism as a game now. It's always how James has been," Bella replied, sighing heavily.

"What are you talking about, Bella?" I asked.

"In each lifetime where Edward and I have found each other, James, or his incarnation in that lifetime, has been the one to kill the both of us. And now that he's a vampire…there's no human who could ever stop him. Finding Edward and I each time we come back has probably become like a game to him. He…doesn't want us to break the curse…he's the most powerful being on earth."

"He's not the most powerful," Jasper said in a low voice.

"He'll find a way…" Bella said sadly, "Even when we were Robert and Belle. Do you know how we died, Jasper? I thought it was the looters who had set fire to the house, trapping Robert and I. Right before the flames consumed us, I saw him…he was staring in through the window. I thought his eyes were red because of the fire…but it was James. He was a vampire. Every life I have come back in, James has been the one to end it…ever since the 1660s."

I didn't know what to say. Bella must've been hurting way more than any of us could've imagined. She had to be scared that death was coming for her any day.

"It's a game to him now. After he ends our lives, he starts hunting for us to be reborn. He tortures our families, and then he finds some new way to cause the most painful deaths possible."

"But what about Victoria?" Carlisle asked, "What part does she play in all of this?"

"Who…who is Victoria?" Bella asked, confused.

"The red head," Jasper answered.

"The red head…" Bella breathed softly.

I spoke as soon as the vision I had was over. "The red headed vampire you saw in San Francisco."

Bella gasped loudly, "He's working with her?"

"And another vampire…an African-American male with a French accent and dreadlocks," Jasper said, beginning to pace again.

Bella's face paled, "I saw him on the subway when I was killed in 1987. It was Halloween so I thought his eyes were contacts. He…he was dressed like a pimp or something."

"Not much has changed there…" I muttered.

"So he…he has people helping him now…" Bella said, her breathing quickening. Her eyes shot to mine. "Alice, why didn't you tell me this was all happening? That they're here! We're running out of time!"

Bella was beginning to hyperventilate and Jasper went to work calming her back down. Carlisle knelt in front of her again, taking her hands delicately in his.

"Breathe, Bella. Just breathe."

"Carlisle…" She gasped, "I need you to…I…"

"It's okay, Bella," he responded, "Just breathe, dear."

"Alice said I'm going to be just like you…that has to mean Edward is too, right?"

Bella's frantic eyes met mine again and I saw Jasper shake his head from the corner of my eye. I knew she was beginning to freak out, but by telling her the truth, I saw the outcome would be more to our benefit.

"I don't see any visions of Edward in the future. It's only you who is the vampire."

"What?" Bella cried, "No! No, that can't be right!"

"Alice…" Jasper growled under his breath.

"No! No, he has to be there! It's the only way! There isn't any other way to break the curse!"

"Jasper," Carlisle said, too low for Bella to hear, "Calm her down."

"I'm trying…she's starting to freak out."

"Just wait," I said.

Bella now had tears streaming down her cheeks and she was shaking violently on Carlisle's couch.

"Please…Carlisle, you have to save him. You have to save us."

"Bella…"

"Please! You helped Anthony and Marie! Please! There's no other way!"

Bella started shaking her head back and forth and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself. I knew both Carlisle and Jasper were terribly worried about her reaction (and neither was pleased with me for setting her off), but they just had to wait.

"He has to remember me. Edward has to remember…" Bella mumbled. "All of this will mean nothing if he doesn't remember me when he's changed. If he doesn't believe me, then it's all useless. He has to remember…he has to…"

Bella trailed off and her eyes were staring straight ahead at the door, completely unfocused. Carlisle repeated her name, trying to get Bella to focus on him, but it was no use. Jasper was at my side in an instant.

"What did you do, Darlin'? The girl is in so much agony it's a wonder both she and I haven't passed out from the pain!"

I smiled to myself. My visions were occasionally wonderful things.

"Carlisle, let me try," I said, moving stand in front of Bella.

"Alice-"

"Trust me."

With those two words, Carlisle moved away, having learned long ago to trust me if I indeed told him to do so. I took his place, kneeling in front of Bella, and placed my hands softly on top of hers.

"Bella…Bella, how do we get Edward to remember?"

She stopped shaking her head and her eyes snapped to mine.

"Alice?"

"That's right, Bella. Can you tell me how to get Edward to remember? We all want to help you two, you know that."

Bella nodded. I was positive Carlisle and Jasper thought she was nodding in acknowledgement of our wanting to help, but the vision that hit me showed me that this wasn't the case. I smiled and squeezed Bella hands as soft as I could.

"I've seen it, Bella. Edward _will_ remember you."

"Darlin'" and "Alice" were whispered at the same time.

"Can you tell us all now, Bella? And Carlisle will fill Esme and Emmett in later?" I asked, ignoring Carlisle and Jasper.

Bella nodded. "Okay."

Carlisle and Jasper both took seats on the floor next to me and faced Bella.

"We're running out of time," Bella said quietly, "Because in every lifetime, Edward and I have never lived past the ages of twenty-five and twenty-two. I'm already twenty-two…and Edward turns twenty-six in seven weeks. Plus James is already here…time is very short."

I continued to hold her hand and smile at her encouragingly. I saw that once Carlisle and Jasper heard Bella's explanation, they would do whatever it took to help Edward remember. Esme and Emmett were also going to be on board.

"You know that ever since our first lifetime, this is only the fourth time Edward and I have ever found each other. You know about Robert and Belle, Anthony, and Marie…and even Eduardo and Isabel. I will tell you about each couple, for it will help in getting Edward to remember."

"It will jog our memories as well," Carlisle stated. I saw that he did indeed know of James when he was a human, and could maybe even help us find some kind of weakness in him.

"If you count all of the lives I've lived, the things I've seen over the years…" Bella shook her head, "I'm the only one who remembers any of it, and I carry the knowledge of living almost a thousand years put together."

"A thousand years?" Jasper exclaimed.

Bella nodded, "I was born sometime in the 1140s, somewhere in what is now Italy."

I stayed silent, having seen everything already, and let Carlisle and Jasper absorb this new information.

"My name was Cigna, and Edward's was Murato. James…was known as Caccio," Bella sighed, "It's time I told you about the curse that started it all."

**Well? Yes? No? Lots of information in this chapter. I hope you guys remember it all. Heading back to the Mainland this week…no update for either story for while…but let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? :-D **


	9. Ch 8: Enchanted Sparks Fly

**Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters…**

**A/N: Thank you for reading & reviewing! BIG apologies it took me so long. RL was really, REALLY sucking. Hope you all remember the stuff you learned in Bella's POV! It's all going to come back later. :-P This chapter structure is a little different once again, it's two mini-chapters in one. Enjoy :-D**

_**This night is sparkling, don't you let it go **_

_**I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home **_

_**I'll spend forever wondering if you knew **_

_**This night is flawless, don't you let it go **_

_**I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone **_

_**I'll spend forever wondering if you knew **_

_**I was enchanted to meet you**_

_**-Taylor Swift, "Enchanted"**_

Chapter 8: Enchanted/Sparks Fly

_Week 1, Story 1_

Five hundred years ago, in a small village near the mountains of Spain, a little boy was boy was born to a blacksmith and his wife. Though they did not have much in their life in terms of material possessions, Antonio and Elisabeta Masón felt blessed by the birth of their son, Eduardo. There was much love in their household, and the Masón family was happy in their home near the edge of the forest on the outskirts of their village.

Antonio was thrilled to have a son…someone who could carry on the family business as the town's blacksmith one day. When Antonio had found out that Elisabeta was pregnant, he prayed every day to the Gods that he would not have a daughter. Being of a poor family, it would have been hard to find a man to marry a girl who came with little to offer. Antonio was confident that Eduardo would learn the trade of a blacksmith well, and when it was time for him to marry, he would be able to provide for his future wife and family.

Eduardo was a happy baby, content to listen to the sounds of metal clanging against metal as his father worked in his shed. He seemed to fuss more when there were no loud sounds to lull him to sleep, especially during his afternoon naps. As he got older, Eduardo's looks began to take after that of his father, but instead of inheriting all of his father's dark features, his eyes took on the unusual green color of his mother. Elisabeta had dark hair like her son, but her eyes were lighter than the grass in the fields. Many in the village wondered about mother and son's strange colored eyes. It was not known where Antonio had met Elisabeta, but the two shared a love that was obvious to anyone who looked at them. It was a fine example for any child to see.

When he could walk and talk, Eduardo began to help his parents with various tasks around the house and in his father's shed. He helped his mother gather eggs from their chickens and milk from their cow and goat. He helped her clean their clothes and care for their home. When Eduardo got older, he helped his father care for their horse and brought him the tools he required as he worked in the shed, filling the different villagers requests, and supplying the town's law enforcement with the necessary weapons. When his help wasn't required, Eduardo spent his time exploring the woods behind his house. He loved to feel the sun on his skin and pretended to play games of being a soldier and sword fighting. One day, he happened upon a clearing with a small stream running through. It would become his place of refuge, as he got older.

Antonio loved his son very much and he only wanted the best for him. To Antonio, the only future for Eduardo was that of a blacksmith. Once Eduardo reached the age of 10, his father required his assistance in his work shed on a daily basis. Eduardo hardly spent any time with his mother, a fact that saddened Elisabeta greatly, but she would never voice such an opinion. Antonio was tough on his son, reminding him he needed to grow up and be a man…burning your hands was a part of the job, dirty clothes, hot conditions, and even more burns were to be expected. The first time Eduardo burned his hand, he was learning how to make shoes for a horse's hoof. Tears ran down his cheek as he stared at the angry red and blistering mark on his palm. Antonio struck his son, telling him to stop crying and stop being a child. That was the day Eduardo began to resent the future that was set before him. He didn't want to be a blacksmith. He wanted something more from life…though he wasn't quite sure what that was.

On a summer day, a few hours before the sun was to set, Eduardo, now at the age of 11, set off to spend a few quiet moments at his stream. His father had partaken of too much of the brown, stale smelling drink with his friends from the village, and not much work was to be done in his shed that day. Elisabeta, still seeing her son as a child, excused Eduardo to go play as a child should, but reminded him to be home before the sun set. It was with great joy that Eduardo set off down his familiar path to the stream, and he removed his clothes and shoes before diving in to the cool water.

As Eduardo floated naked in the water, he thought more about the future that was laid before him. Though a blacksmith was not what he truly wanted to be, he didn't know what else he could do. His parents had a happy life, and they loved him dearly…perhaps he too could find happiness as a blacksmith. He didn't dare want to think about having a wife though. Thinking of females and their form did funny things to his lower half…especially the appendage between his legs. Eduardo instead continued to hum the song that he had heard his father and friends singing the night before.

The girl had seen him there many times before. She often sat perched in a tree and watched the boy she thought to be so beautiful as he swam and splashed about in the stream. The first time she had ever seen him had been in the marketplace with his mother. They both had such unusual green eyes, and they immediately enchanted the girl. She had to know more about the green-eyed boy. Soon she discovered that he was the son of the village's blacksmith. At the tender age of 9, young Isabel Cisne knew that this boy was meant to be with her, and she smiled all the way home from the marketplace.

Climbing down from her perch in her tree, Isabel kept a careful eye on the boy as he floated in the stream, humming to himself. Her cheeks flushed when she noticed his naked body. Though she knew her mother would be upset, Isabel sat on the ground near the side of the stream in her white dress. She had been working up courage to speak to the boy for weeks. Taking a deep breath, she spoke and let her presence be known.

"What are you humming?" She asked.

Eduardo was startled and then embarrassed, seeing the young girl sitting next on the bank of the stream. He hid his eleven-year-old body in the water and demanded to know what she was doing there. Eduardo couldn't help but notice that the girl was unlike any other he had ever seen before. She had striking brown eyes that stood out against her pale skin, and dark hair that flowed over her shoulders. He felt a stirring in the pit of his stomach, and a strange feeling that he knew her. His embarrassment won out however, and he continued to be quite rude, again demanding to know what the girl was doing there.

The embarrassment only became worse when the girl told him she had seen him swimming there before. Eduardo's face paled, thinking of all the times he touched himself, making his flaccid appendage stand out from his body, before experiencing the most euphoric feelings, and his body part softening once again. The girl smirked…yes she had seen Eduardo's private moments. She did not hesitate to voice her observations, and Eduardo felt his cheeks flame as the girl spoke of his "snake".

Isabel wanted to know the boy, so she began to ask him if he had ever seen her before or remembered her. She would surely recognize him anywhere and remember him. Eduardo did not remember her, but felt drawn to the girl, feeling as if he knew her from a dream or a story…almost as if she wasn't real. Though he was even further embarrassed, Eduardo permitted the girl to join him in his stream for a swim. Eduardo had promised Isabel that he would not peek as she disrobed, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to know what the difference was between boys and girls, and as he peeked as Isabel's naked form, he noticed her chest was slightly rounder than his own, and her body was missing the appendage between her legs that he had. Eduardo cursed as said appendage began to harden. He clenched his eyes shut, and reminded himself to speak with his father later about his "snake". Isabel said it was poisonous, and he certainly didn't want to poison her or even himself with the white "venom" that his snake released.

"What is your name?" Eduardo asked, wanting to know the girl who shared his stream.

"Isabel. What's yours?" the girl smiled.

"Eduardo," the boy replied.

The duo spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and talking with one another. Eduardo learned that Isabel was the daughter of one of the hunters who sold his meats in the marketplace, Carlos Cisne, and his wife Sara. Isabel had an older brother, but he became ill when he was only 4 years old and died. Isabel missed him every day. Isabel listened as Eduardo spoke of his family, and she loved his descriptions of working in his father's shed, and helping his mother with their chickens and other animals. When the sun sank behind the trees, they knew it was time to say goodbye.

"Can we meet here again?" Isabel asked.

Eduardo sighed. He wasn't sure how often he would get to come to his beloved stream, and now he was a little more saddened by the fact that he now had a friend whom he might not get to visit with as much.

"I don't know," Eduardo said sadly, "I help my father often."

Isabel smiled anyway, "I'll be here every afternoon. My mother and father do not notice when I am gone. I will stay until the sun sets."

"I'll come when I can," Eduardo replied.

When he walked back home that night, Eduardo felt something warm settle in his chest. He wasn't sure what the feeling was, but he smiled as he thought of Isabel and the day that they spent together.

It turned out, that Eduardo snuck away to the stream every day for at least an hour before the sun set. Isabel was always there waiting for him. Sometimes they would swim, other times they wouldn't. When it began to get too cold to even think of swimming, the two huddled close beneath a blanket that Isabel would bring with her. They would tell each other stories or play games, even share pieces of food when one was able to steal some away from home. The two became best friends, solidifying the bond between them.

They continued to meet for many years, growing up together, and facing the changes in their lives. When he was 15, Eduardo shared with Isabel what his father had told him about his "snake", and was the first to tell Isabel anything about sex. Eduardo explained that his father told him that every woman had a scared cave, meant for only one man's snake, and only when they are married is the snake allowed to explore the cave. When Isabel asked about the snake's venom, Eduardo said the venom was only poisonous to a woman who was not the man's wife, though the venom would make his wife bleed the first time, the wife would be immune after that and would no longer be hurt. Isabel explained that she bled every month. Eduardo was alarmed at first, but Isabel explained that her mother told her it was normal, that all women experienced it, and was involved in making babies…but wouldn't tell her any more than that until she was married. Both teens were confused by the other's story, but shrugged, figuring their parents knew what they were talking about, and both felt better, having shared their discoveries with their best friend.

One day, when Eduardo was 17 years old, his father was attacked and presumed dead. There was so much blood drenching the walls of the shed that Eduardo vomited his lunch all over the floor. It was decided that a rogue wolf had killed Antonio, and group of hunters was gathered to hunt the beast. Antonio's body was never found. Elisabeta was heartbroken, and Eduardo knew he would need to take over for his father and for the people of the village. Between working the shed and taking care of his mother, Eduardo barely had any time to grieve, let alone go and visit Isabel at their stream. His hours were spent working hot metal and trying to get his mother to eat. It was a lot to ask of Eduardo, who still found himself teetering between boy and man.

Isabel had heard the news of Antonio's passing, but Eduardo was so busy, she hadn't seen him since his father's funeral. Isabel's mother, Sara, could see how much her daughter loved Eduardo. Even her father Carlos, a gruff and hard man, acknowledged the fact that his daughter's heart belonged to the town's new blacksmith. Many men came to call on Isabel, but Carlos refused them all, knowing his daughter would never be happy unless she was happily married to the one she loved.

Santiago was the richest man in the village. He wanted nothing more than the beautiful Isabel in his bed. He constantly asked Carlos for his daughter's hand, but Carlos knew what a vile man Santiago was. He was known for taking what he wanted, whether it be property, food, livestock, or even women…Carlos was disgusted by Santiago, and despite the large amount of money he and Sara were offered, Carlos refused to let Santiago marry Isabel. Instead, Carlos did something that surprised many…he went to Eduardo and asked Eduardo to marry his daughter.

Having just turned 18 years old, Eduardo was shocked, but realized that as time had passed, the only woman he could picture by his side in the future was Isabel, and that the warm feeling burning in his chest was his love for her. The two married in a small ceremony in the back of the Masóns' home, with only Elisabeta, the priest, and Isabel's parents present. Santiago was furious when he found out. How could Isabel marry the poor blacksmith who had nothing to offer her? Isabel deserved to be spoiled in riches and wearing only the finest clothes. He began to plot a way to make Isabel his, willing to do whatever was necessary to make that happen.

Meanwhile, Isabel and Eduardo were enjoying their own marital bliss. In order to not impose on the newlyweds, Elisabeta moved into with Carlos and Sara. The parents leaned on each other, saddened yet happy at the sight of their only children married and in love with one another. Realizing that he loved her, Eduardo took great joy in every minute of every day that be spent with Isabel. He found even more joy in the newfound activities that were shared only between a man and his wife. The two hungered for each other in such a way, that Elisabeta and Sara were certain there would be a little one running around in no time. Eduardo and Isabel spent the last hours of each day before the sun set, disappearing to the stream behind their new home. There they would swim, relax, occasionally make love, and just enjoy being alone in each other's arms.

In had not yet been two month of wedded bliss, before the hardships began. Isabel indeed fell pregnant. Though she, Eduardo, and their families were overjoyed, it was difficult on Isabel, being that she was nearly 17 years old. Isabel was ill and unable to leave the bed. Eduardo, unwilling to leave his wife's side, lost business by ignoring his blacksmith duties, and soon, they owed money to many people in the village. More tragedy struck when a house fire consumed the Cisne home, killing Carlos, Sara, and Elisabeta. Both children were distraught, and Isabel became weaker and sicker as she grieved for her parents. Eduardo did not know what to do. As she grieved, Isabel's pregnancy became more difficult and she could barely keep any food in her stomach.

In the wake of their parents' deaths, Eduardo began to fear that he would lose Isabel, the last remaining person that he loved. That night, as he held her in his arms, he whispered to her, begging her to make a promise to him.

"Promise me you'll never leave me, my love. Promise that I'll never be without you."

Isabel smiled and kissed her husband softly. "Never, my love. I'll always be with you, and I'll always find my way back to you."

At the time, it was enough to placate Eduardo, but the feeling didn't last. Desperate to help the woman he loved, Eduardo tried to seek help from those in town. With his lack of money, he was turned away and cast back into the streets. Eduardo knew he could resume his work, but he didn't want to leave Isabel's side. Santiago saw this as his chance. As Isabel lay in bed one day, with a weak Eduardo at her side, Santiago came under the guise of offering aid. Eduardo was immediately grateful.

"I will give you the money you seek in order to help Isabel," Santiago said, a smile on his face. Isabel tried to protest, not trusting Santiago, but Eduardo was desperate to do anything to save his love and their child.

"Thank you," Eduardo said, "Thank you, Santiago."

"Ah…" Santiago started, "I'm glad you will take my help. I will gladly take my compensation now."

Without warning, two soldiers entered Eduardo and Isabel's home. Santiago smiled maliciously.

"In return for my money, I will take Isabel off your hands. The money should be more than enough for you get back on your feet, blacksmith."

"No!" Eduardo shouted, lunging towards Santiago.

Santiago knocked Eduardo away with one swing of his arm, sending him crashing into the small table in the room. Isabel screamed for Eduardo.

"EDUARDO!" She screamed, both scared that he was injured and terrified of the men leering at her.

Isabel tried to fight the men off, but her body was too weak, barely having enough strength to scream. The men laughed as she struggled feebly against their groping hands. Isabel continued to cry for Eduardo, and slowly he began to come to. Santiago laughed and then shouted at the men for touching what was now his. Eduardo felt a surge of strength…Isabel was his...she was his wife, pregnant with his child, and the woman he loved. Spying a knife that had clattered to the floor, Eduardo pulled it to his body just in time, before Santiago rounded the toppled over table and kicked Eduardo in the ribs. Isabel screamed and tears began to pour down her cheeks as Eduardo clutched his stomach in pain. Santiago kicked him once more for good measure and leaned over Eduardo's body.

"You know I'll take care of her," Santiago whispered into Eduardo's ear, "She belongs with a man like me…not a poor blacksmith like you. I'll claim her as mine too…pound myself into her body over and over again until she screams. Oh she'll scream too, Eduardo…I'll take her again and again until she forgets your name. Mmmm…it could take hours, days even…"

Eduardo couldn't take it anymore. He felt his blood boil and his body overcame the pain that radiated from his stomach. With a loud roar, Eduardo moved so quickly he caught everyone off guard. In a rage, Eduardo sliced Santiago's throat with the knife, a cut so deep that blood flowed like a waterfall from Santiago's neck. Pushing his body away from him, Eduardo stood to face the men who had his Isabel.

What Eduardo had not noticed was that the soldiers had been in motion too, seeing Eduardo slash Santiago's throat. They threw Isabel's frail body across the room and she hit the stone fireplace violently, cracking her skull open. Her body was too weak to take such a blow and she collapsed to the ground, her lifeless eyes facing Eduardo. He did not see his love on the floor, fighting the two soldiers in a blind rage, stabbing one in the throat much like Santiago, and the other in the side of his ribs. When the last soldier fell to the ground, Eduardo was breathing heavily and finally felt the rage subside. As his wits came back to him, he began to frantically look for Isabel.

"Isabel? ISABEL?" Eduardo shouted, becoming frantic. He rounded the overturned furniture to move in front of the fireplace.

"ISABEL, NOOOOO!" Eduardo roared, falling to his knees. He quickly cradled his wife's limp body in his arms, pressing his face into her neck, not caring about her blood that flowed down his arms.

"Isabel…no, no, no, my love…don't leave me…Isabel…" Eduardo sobbed, "You promised…you promised…"

Through his tears and grief, Eduardo did not notice one of the soldiers had survived. Eduardo's cries could be heard from the village, and the soldier knew others would arrive soon. His wound was deep and he wouldn't survive, but Santiago would've wanted the job done.

"I love you, Isabel…I love you…Please, come back to me…" Eduardo continued to sob.

The soldier unsheathed his sword, and with the last strength in his body, he drove the blade through Eduardo's back and pierced his heart. Eduardo's sobs cut off in confusion and pain, and he coughed, trying to breathe. Blood trickled from his lips, and when he looked down, he saw the blade that now stuck out from his chest. His breaths became short and before he fell, his eyes found that of his wife, his Isabel…lifeless, brown orbs staring back at him unblinkingly.

_I'm coming, my love…I'm coming…_

Only Eduardo never saw his Isabel again. The two remained parted, wandering the earth for hundreds of years, always yearning for the other, but never finding each other. Not until two hundred years later…but they were no longer Eduardo and Isabel, and that is a story for another time.

* * *

"_NO!" I shout, and my body is moving, lunging at the man who wants to steal my family from me._

_He is much older than I, and knocks me away with one savage blow. My body crashes into the table in our room and hit the floor hard, my head snapping back against the ground. The world was spinning, yet through it all I heard Isabel's screams and cries. In my blurry vision, I see a knife on the floor near my hand. I pull it towards me and hide it under my body just as Santiago rounds the table and kicks me in the stomach. I can't breathe and the pain is worse than anything I have ever felt. He kicks me again and I feel like I'm suffocating as all the air leaves my body. My ears are ringing and I can vaguely hear Isabel screaming my name. _

_My body feels weak and I can barely open my eyes as I try to breathe. I can feel Santiago leaning over me. He begins to whisper in my ear, my stomach rolls as he talks of violating my Isabel, taking her against her will. As my stomach churns, it's almost as if my body is churning the hurt away, and replacing it with strength. I can feel the anger beginning to surge forth, and before I really know what I am doing, I lunge forward with the knife in my hand, swinging wildly at Santiago's face._

_I can hear the satisfying sound of Santiago's skin splitting, and relish in the look of shock on his face as blood pours down his chest. Everything after that is a blur, as I fight the two soldiers in a rage. The knife finds its target with every swing, and soon I am breathing heavily, covered in blood that is not mine. As the red haze begins to recede, I glance around for Isabel. _

"_Isabel? ISABEL?" I shout, my voice frantic as I move around the room._

_Time seems to stop and I feel like my heart has exploded in my chest. I see Isabel lying in front of the fireplace, a pool of blood behind her head, and lifeless brown eyes looking back at me._

"_ISABEL! NOOOOOOO!" I scream in a rage, falling to my knees._

_I cradle her in my arms, her blood mixing with that of those I just killed to defend her. The tears come quickly as I sob for my love. The only woman I have ever loved, my wife, my best friend, and my love…she was gone._

"_Isabel…no, no, no, my love…don't leave me…Isabel…you promised…you promised…"_

_I sob, this scene feeling all too familiar. I grieve for my love and our unborn child, and I cry out in anger that I am alone in this world. My voice has gone hoarse and the sounds of grieving are unnatural and frightening._

"_I love you, Isabel…I love you…Please, come back to me…I lov-"_

_I gasp as my breath is knocked out from my chest and replaced with a searing pain. I gasp repeatedly as it feels like liquid is now flowing into my lungs choking me. I try to speak, but blood spills from my lips instead. In confusion I look down at my chest and see the blade sticking out. All of a sudden I am hit with visions of another scene just like this, and I remember it all over again. My eyes find Isabel's and my breaths become short. It cannot be…how could I not have known?_

_My Isabel…my Cigna…her brown eyes are the last things I see, as my body breathes no more._

I scream and find myself sitting up in my bed gasping and my body feeling completely drenched. I panicked, my hands frantically wiping at the moisture on my chest. As I pulled my hands away and held them in front of my body, I expected them to be covered in blood. My chest was heaving as my hands flew back to the spot where I was certain I would find a blade sticking out of my chest. I found nothing but sweaty bare skin.

I swung my legs off the edge of my bed, the cold floor a shock to my already frazzled nerves. My eyes blinked rapidly and tried to make sense of where I was. I wasn't in a small hut on the floor…I was in my house in Forks. And I wasn't covered in blood or bleeding…I was fine. I scrubbed my hands across my face…this job was taking its toll on me. On shaky legs, I stood up and walked to the bathroom to throw some water on my face.

After my last session of the day, I went for a run and pushed myself so hard that I could barely breathe and my muscles burned. I had been exhausted when I returned home, barely rinsing off in the shower before coming back and collapsing on my bed. I only had two sessions today, but both were making me feel like I was losing my mind. Bella was pleasantly cooperative today, answering my questions and participating in the exercises I set up for her. I rewarded her good behavior, permitting her to tell one of her stories. It was her story that she told, coupled with Alice's session later that made me run until I thought I would pass out.

The story Bella told me…I tried not to pass out as I heard it. I had dreamt it so many times before, and as she told I the story of Eduardo and Isabel, it was like I was living it with her. It was making me think of something I had learned in one of my classes…something about some theorist believing that our past lives lived on inside us and memories and behaviors were already ingrained in our heads. I didn't want to believe that. It was impossible for me to know of Eduardo and Isabel…to feel like I had practically lived as Eduardo…things like that just did not exist in the modern world. There was no such thing as reincarnation, science couldn't prove it and I just couldn't believe it. My brain warred against my heart as I thought about…my brain insisting it was impossible while my heart told me it was.

The cold water was an additional shock to my system, and I let the water drip down my face and to my chest. My breaths were still erratic and as I looked at myself in the mirror, I gasped loudly. I closed my eyes tightly and shook my head. I saw myself with dark hair like Eduardo's.

"It's not real, it's not real…" I chanted and slowly opened my eyes. I breathed sigh of relief, seeing my messy bronze locks atop my head.

It was 4:17am, but after a dream like that, I knew there was no way I was going back to sleep. I brushed my teeth and thought about Alice's session. She had been completely uncooperative at first, refusing to speak a word. It was unusual because she was the one who was usually always willing to speak and told me cryptic little messages about my day or evening. I sighed and closed my notebook when she yet again refused to answer my simple question of, "how are you today?" Imagine my surprise when she answered in Spanish, and then imagine my shock when I understood her and responded easily back in the same language. In order to remain professional, I continued to speak in Spanish to Alice (who was pleasantly amused). It wasn't until she left that I started to freak out.

"_Very impressive for someone who never took a Spanish class, Dr. Masen."_

Very impressive indeed, Alice.

Spitting my toothpaste back out into the sink, I looked up at my reflection again. My eyes were their same boring green, my hair was still a messy nest of bronze, my skin was pale, and I had dark bags under my eye. I took a deep breath, wanting to test this little theory for myself.

"No quiero volver a dormir a causa de mis pesadillas…" I said it slowly, but the shock was evident on my face as I watched the Spanish words spill from my mouth. "No puede ser…"

I backed away from the sink, my back hitting the wall. There was no way…how…I slid down to the floor, my elbows resting on my knees. What was going on with me?

* * *

_**Drop everything now,**_

_**Meet me in the pouring rain,**_

_**Kiss me on the sidewalk,**_

_**Take away the pain**_

'_**Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile.**_

_**Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down**_

_**Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around**_

_**'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile**_

_**- Taylor Swift, "Sparks Fly"**_

_Week 2, Story 2_

When Marie Swan turned twelve years old in 1662, her family was sold to the Masen family as slaves, going to live in their lavish home in London. Marie was terrified. Not only were their last masters cruel, but also Marie was scared that she might get separated from her family. Many of the slaves at their last home were sold from different families and split apart from their own. Her own brother Matthew was sold just the year before. Marie had no idea where he was now. Marie clutched her mother's hand tightly as they stood in front of the Masen home. It was the biggest house Marie had ever seen in her life. It made her all the more intimidated.

Caroline Masen was flitting about in the spare bedroom in the east wing of their home. Unlike others during their time, Caroline believed in treating their servants as human beings, unlike slaves like other families did. She thought her servants to be a part of her family. This new family of workers coming to live in their home had a young daughter. Caroline was excited to have another child in her home. None of the other servants had children, and Caroline had hoped to have another child, but it was not meant to be for she and her husband Henry. She hoped the Swans' daughter could be a friend to her son Anthony. Anthony could use a young friend around the house. It was because of the Swans' young child, that they were staying the east wing with the rest of the Masen family. Caroline wanted Anthony and the girl to be able to play with each other and keep each other company. Henry Masen wasn't sure of all of this, not wanting to be the laughing stock of London for treating his servants like family, but he loved his wife, and what she wanted, she got.

Anthony Masen was thirteen years old when Marie and her family came to live at his home. He was standing in the doorway as he watched his mother scurry about. When she finally stopped moving, Anthony felt dizzy. His mother had made him dress in his Sunday best, and it was stifling in the house that day. He didn't care for the fact that a girl was coming to live with them and that his mother wanted him to play with her. Plus, she was younger than he was. What was he supposed to do with some little girl? Anthony grumbled to himself as he followed his mother downstairs to greet the new family.

He almost ran in to his mother because he wasn't watching where he was going. The girl was so…thin…and weird looking. Anthony felt his face scrunch up as he looked at her…she was dirty too. When Marie saw Anthony standing there behind his mother, she felt the tears begin to well up in her eyes. The little boy looked disgusted to see her, and Marie was sure he'd make his parents send her away.

"Why are you crying?" Anthony said, rudely.

His father Henry smacked the back of his head hard.

"OW!"

"Manners, Anthony…"

It was too late though. Marie's tears were streaming down her cheeks and she ran for the open door she saw on the side of the house. Her mother, Rebecca, and her father, Richard, called for her, but Marie kept going. She had hoped Anthony would be a friend, but it was clear that he didn't like her. Marie ran and ran, her tears blinding her. It was amazing that she didn't trip on anything. Before long, Marie found herself in the woods…and it was getting dark, clouds rolling in from the west, and Marie now had no idea where she was.

The Masens and Swans were shocked that Marie had acted in such a way. The Masens quickly assembled all of their workers and took to the woods. Rebecca and Caroline remained at the house in case Marie came back. Caroline did her best to comfort Rebecca, and apologized profusely for whatever it was that upset Marie so. Caroline called on their good friends the Cullens to come and help as well. The Cullens' 18-year-old son Carlisle was a mentor of sorts to young Anthony, and he came with his father to help find the young girl.

Marie was cold and scared. She knew she shouldn't have run off, but her feelings were so hurt by Anthony's reaction to her. She found a hollowed out tree and wedged herself inside. How was she ever going to find her way back home? Were they looking for her? Did the Masens even care that she had run off? What about her mother and father? Marie let out a sob. She didn't know what to do.

The Masens and Cullens split up and together with their servants, branched out through the forest, calling out Marie's name. Carlisle was paired up with a servant named James who was a little older than he was, and another servant named Daniel. Carlisle had met James before while visiting Anthony…he wasn't fond of James, and didn't think James liked him or Anthony very much. Carlisle hoped it was Anthony and Henry that found the poor girl. What Carlisle didn't know, was that James was an excellent hunter and tracker. He caught most of the wild game that fed the Masen household. James picked up Marie's trail easily, and soon Carlisle and Daniel were running to catch up with James as he followed Marie's trail right to the tree she was burrowed in. Before Carlisle and Daniel could even catch up with James, he was crouching in front of the tree Marie was hiding in, and trying to coax her out.

Marie flinched and cried as the man she didn't know tried to get her to come out of the tree. She was scared of his long, dirty hair, and his smile scared her more than comforted her. She didn't trust this man James one bit. Fortunately, Carlisle and Daniel arrived soon after, and hearing Marie's cries, Carlisle asked James to move aside and let him try. Carlisle coaxed Marie out and carried the sobbing child back in his arms. Carlisle sensed Marie's distrust of James, and he made a mental note to tell Henry about it. James was a year or two older than Carlisle, and Carlisle knew there were men in this world that liked to prey upon young girls. He wasn't sure that James was one of these men, but all the same, Carlisle wanted to be sure.

When she was finally wrapped in blankets and drinking a warm cup of tea, Rebecca Swan asked her daughter why she had run off. Marie cried again, saying that the young boy Anthony made a face of disgust at her, that he didn't like her. Marie's heart was crushed…she had been hoping to find at least one friend, and instead, she found a boy who didn't like her one bit. Rebecca told Caroline of Marie's words, and Caroline had a word with Anthony. When he told his mother his reasoning for making a face, his mother punished him, telling him he was rude and behaved poorly. Anthony didn't appreciate being in trouble, and it made him dislike Marie even more. He kept his distance from her after that, and Marie did the same.

The years passed, and when Anthony turned 17, he found himself and his body taking more notice of Marie. She was 16 now, and in the four years they had been living together, they had avoided each other at all costs. Marie helped Caroline dress in the morning and attend to her garden, and occasionally cleaned around the house. She also worked closely with an older woman named Angela. Angela was in charge of all the female servants, and her husband Ben was in charge of all of the male servants. They looked after Marie when her parents weren't around, and Angela looked after Marie when Rebecca passed away during their second winter there. Richard followed just last year, leaving Marie an orphan. It was Angela and Ben who now looked after Marie as if she was one of their own.

Anthony had taken notice of the change in Marie's figure. Most notably her chest was no longer flat and she had grown in height, though not by much. Her reddish hair was long and her eyes…had they always been so brown? Anthony would watch as Marie moved around the room, dusting things and cleaning…he couldn't keep his eye off of her when he was supposed to be studying. Marie was so beautiful, and suddenly, Anthony was wishing that he hadn't behaved so foolishly when they had first met.

This wasn't to say that Marie didn't notice Anthony either. Anthony had become an incredibly handsome young man, and she would try to sneak peeks at him as she moved around and went about her duties. She would sometimes see him talking with Carlisle in the parlor, and he would laugh about something, and Marie would be struck dumb as she took in his green eyes and wide smile. The one man that she did try to avoid at all costs was James. After four years, she was still scared of him, a feeling of unease passing over her every time she found herself in her presence. He worked in the stable and she avoided going down there as much as she could.

One day, Marie was heading out to the garden to meet Caroline, and ran straight into Anthony. He caught her easily and held her in his arms to keep from stumbling. Marie was immediately blushing and stuttering an apology. Anthony was the same, loving the feeling of holding Marie in his arms. Marie felt like her face was on fire, and it occurred to Anthony at that moment that he has no shirt on. His horse Gideon had spooked and threw him into a small pond on their property. He removed his shirt as he walked back from the stables, hating the wet material against his skin. Marie could only focus on the bare skin of his chest and the way it felt under her hands, and she gasped loudly as she felt Anthony's arms wrap around her back, holding her tighter.

"Marie…" Anthony whispered.

The moment their eyes met, it only took a split second for their lips to meet as well. Anthony couldn't deny his attraction to Marie, and she was helpless to do the same. There hands roamed as their lips pressed against each other. Neither had felt such a pull before. A throat clearing startled both, yet Anthony couldn't bear to let Marie go. Both were surprised and relieved to see Angela standing there, hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. Angela and Ben had often wondered how long it would take for the two of them to realize their feelings for each other. Neither Angela nor Ben missed the looks Anthony and Marie would give each other.

"Perhaps Mr. Masen would like to put on a clean shirt? Marie…Mrs. Masen is waiting for you."

Marie's face was on fire, but Anthony was hesitant to let her go.

"Marie…" He whispered. She shook her head, terrified of what would happen if his parents found out. "Please…Marie…"

Marie shook as she looked up at Anthony. When she looked up to his face, she saw his green eyes and a soft smile on his lips.

"Anthony…"

"Please…meet me after dinner in the garden? I…I want to talk to you. Please, Marie…"

"Come now, Marie," Angela called, "Mrs. Masen is waiting."

"Angela," Anthony pleaded.

"I'll make sure Marie is excused from chores after dinner."

"Thank you," Anthony sighed, "Marie? Will you meet me?"

Marie blushed but nodded before scurrying off to the gardens.

That was how their relationship began. Marie and Anthony would meet in the gardens every night after dinner, Angela making excuses of a new chore assigned to Marie, and Anthony free to come and go on the grounds as he pleased. Ben was never far from the couple, making sure things were kept…proper. For the first year, they were. Marie and Anthony spent the time getting to know each other. Anthony taught Marie how to read his books, while Marie told Anthony her own tales of times long ago. Anthony may have stolen a kiss or two, and when Anthony turned 18, he knew that he was in love with Marie, and he wanted to marry her, regardless of what others thought. Marie was afraid of what his parents would say, but she too loved Anthony, and she couldn't bear the thought of being apart from him.

What the two had not known was that there were several obstacles that would be standing in their way. For one, Carlisle had been right about his initial feelings about James. James liked to prey on young girls, and he had his eye on Marie for years now. He wanted her, and was well aware of Anthony and Marie's evening rendezvous in the garden. James was willing to do anything to have Marie for his own. The other obstacle was announced at Anthony's 18th birthday party, and it was even more of a problem than James.

"I have chosen a bride for my son, Anthony!" Henry Masen proclaimed to the party.

Marie felt her heart shatter when Mr. Masen brought forth the daughter of one of the other wealthy families in the city. Anthony was in shock, then furious, and then afraid as his eyes searched the room for Marie. He saw her frozen form against a wall in the back, and he pleaded with her with his eyes. Henry went on to speak of Anthony's future wife, but Marie couldn't hear anything else. All she heard was that Anthony was meant to marry someone else. All of his talk about telling his parents he was marrying Marie was for nothing. At the sound of the crowd's applause, Marie snapped out of her daze and quickly made for the front door. A summer rain was falling, but Marie felt nothing but her tears running down her cheeks.

Every fiber of Anthony's body wanted to bolt out the door after Marie, but he knew if he did, he'd be found out and Marie would be taken away from him. Minutes passed before Anthony could slip away and he took off quickly slipping past people. Carlisle saw his young friend and could tell that he was in a panic. Angela and Ben also knew that Marie had run off again, much like she had when she was a child. The three slipped out with Anthony and decided to look for Marie on the sidewalks. She wouldn't be foolish enough to run into the woods at this hour.

It didn't take long for Anthony to find Marie, as she didn't make it very far. The three adults hung back as Anthony went to Marie, huddled against a wall, hugging her knees and sobbing.

"Marie…" Anthony said quietly.

Startled, Marie's head shot up. She couldn't believe that Anthony was here, that he had come after her.

"I…I…" Marie stammered, "You should go back…"

Part of Anthony's heart broke off hearing Marie's words, but he was certain that she didn't mean them.

"Marie, I'm not going to marry her."

Marie's brow furrowed in confusion. "But…your father said-"

"I don't love her," Edward cut her off, "I love you, Marie. You are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, you are the woman that I love without a doubt, and you are the woman I am going to marry."

"But-" Marie tried to protest, not seeing how this could ever work.

"Marie, do you remember what we said after the start of the New Year? We love each other, we are going to marry each other…we will find a way to make this all work…"

"I…"

"Please, Marie…" Anthony pleaded, offering his hands to pull her off the ground, "I can't live without you, and I won't marry another whom I don't love. Please…come with me now and we'll figure something out."

Marie stared into Anthony's eyes and knew he was telling the truth, and he was confident that they would be all right. Marie loved him more than she thought possible, and knew that Anthony spoke the truth, as long as they were together, that was all that mattered. She reached up and took his hands, and Anthony pulled her into a tight embrace before latching his lips on to hers. Marie sighed, feeling that she was where she was supposed to be, even with the pouring rain falling around them.

Carlisle, Angela, and Ben knew that there would be trouble if Anthony and Marie were found out, but none of them could deny the love they saw between the two. In fact, Anthony had been talking to Carlisle in confidence, asking him if he would consider marrying he and Bella. Carlisle had agreed then, and he certainly wasn't going to back out now, knowing how true Anthony's feelings were for her. The group began to plot how they were going to avoid Anthony's marriage arranged by his parents, and perform the ceremony to marry Marie and Anthony.

Anthony knew that his parents would never let him marry Marie, no matter how much his mother loved her, she wouldn't be seen as socially appropriate. He knew that they would have to run away if they ever wanted to be truly happy together. Anthony and Carlisle began to explore their options and where they could go. Through it all, Carlisle reminded Anthony of one thing he believed in:

"Love conquers all, Anthony…never forget that."

Carlisle's friend Jeremiah was a boat captain, and he was taking them out of London. They made plans for Carlisle to marry Anthony and Marie in secret in a week, and a week after that, they would be leaving to start their new life together. Angela agreed to make Bella's dress, and Ben would also be present.

A week later, Anthony and Marie were married in the parlor of the Cullen home. It had been hard to avoid his parents and pretend like nothing was going on, but the pair succeeded. Carlisle's parents had a guest cottage on their property, and he let the newly wedded couple celebrate their wedding night there. In a few days, they would embark on their new life as Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Masen.

James had always kept a close eye on Marie. He knew that Anthony was promised to another, but also that he was in love with Marie. He had seen them together in the garden multiple times, but said nothing for fear Marie would be taken away and he would lose track of her. One night, after the stroke of midnight, James woke and saw Anthony and Marie sneaking off through the woods around the property. James knew that through the woods, there was indeed a way off the Masen property. He followed behind them at a distance, and was shocked to see them met by a carriage being driven by none other than Carlisle Cullen.

Carlisle drove the couple to the docks to meet Jeremiah. He had a bag full of money that he had managed to scrounge up for the couple and hoped it would help them begin their new life. James hid behind crates down at the docks as he watched Carlisle say goodbye to Marie and Anthony. Marie cried as she hugged Carlisle and thanked him for all of his help. Jeremiah went aboard his ship to prepare to leave in secret in the middle of the night. It was then that James figured out what was going on…Anthony and Marie were running away…he was taking his Marie away from him. James leapt out and made his presence known.

"You can't do this!" James shouted. The three were startled by his appearance and Marie was instantly afraid.

"James…what are you doing here?" Anthony demanded.

"I won't let you take her away from me," James growled. He felt his knife tucked into the back of his trousers and grinned. Anthony was unarmed.

"James…" Marie started, but Anthony cut her off.

"Stay out of this, love."

Marie was scared not only of James, but was scared of what he might do to Edward.

"Marie, head on board with Jeremiah. Carlisle and I will handle this," Edward ordered.

Carlisle kept his eyes on James and he slid towards his carriage. There was a gun hidden in the driver's seat in case of attacks from thieves. Anthony turned to look at Marie, sensing that she hadn't moved.

"Marie, my love, go…"

That was when all hell broke loose. James grabbed his knife and lunged for Anthony, while his back was still turned. Marie screamed and ran to push Anthony out of the way, as Carlisle yelled for her to stop. James' knife swung through the air and found its target…though it was not the one he intended on.

Marie shoved Anthony out of the way and to the ground, and she screamed as she found herself in James' shocked arms, and a fire burning through her chest. Carlisle acted quickly, dropping the pistol in shock, and running to get help from Jeremiah and his crew. James dropped Marie's body in shock, not believing that he had stabbed her instead. He stumbled backwards as Anthony rushed forward and caught Marie in his arms, cradling her to his chest.

"NO!" Anthony screamed, "Marie! Marie!"

She could feel her breaths getting shorter as the pain bloomed throughout her body. Marie struggled and lifted a bloodied hand to Anthony's cheek, stroking his skin as best she could.

"I love you…" She rasped, "I've loved you forever…"

Anthony could feel tears begin to slip down his cheeks. "Marie, I love you…Darling, please hold on. Everything will be all right."

Marie smiled and shook her head slightly. "I'll find you again."

"Marie!" Anthony shouted, shaking her slightly, "Don't speak like that! Please!"

"I love you, mmmm…" Marie tried to whisper with her last breath but fell short.

Anthony screamed in agony as he watched the life leave her eyes. He hugged his wife's limp body to his chest, and spied the handle of James' knife, reminding him of why this happened. He turned his glare on James, who was glaring right back at him.

"This is all your fault…" James growled, "You couldn't just leave her alone. She was mine! She was always meant to be mine!"

"Never!" Anthony screamed, and with that threw himself at James' body.

The two collided heavily and fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs, striking at each other wherever they could reach. Anthony was fighting with a rage he had never felt before. The love of his life was murdered in front of him by the creepy servant that his parents had kept employed despite numerous complaints from the town. Anthony was able to pin James down and struck blow after blow to his face. James however, was strong and knocked Anthony off of him, sending him flying and landing near Carlisle's carriage. Anthony landed with a thud, the wind knocked out of him, as James groaned in pain. Spying Carlisle's pistol on the ground, Anthony picked it up. Seeing him with the gun, James charged at him.

A shot rang out, and police officers who had heard the shouting and screams earlier picked up their pace as they ran towards the docks. When they arrived, they saw the man standing over two dead bodies with a pistol in his hands. They opened fire with no question, despite Carlisle's screams of protest as he ran back down the ramp from the ship with Jeremiah and his men in tow.

Anthony felt the searing pain of three shots enter and exit his torso. He dropped Carlisle's pistol and fell to his knees. He gasped for air, his eyes seeing that of James lying bleeding on the ground in front of him. James coughed up blood and laughed, a sound that sent a chill through Anthony's rapidly cooling body. As he collapsed on his chest, James spoke the last word Anthony's human ears heard in his life.

"Murato…"

* * *

"You don't think it's unusual that she stuck you in one of her stories?" I asked.

Carlisle shook his head. "No…I think it's perfectly normal behavior for Isabella. She likes to tell stories, and she like many patients, mix up their reality with their fantasy."

I sighed deeply and ran a hand through my hair. I had dreamt of Marie every night since hearing the story. It had happened the week before with Eduardo and Isabel too. I had to ask Carlisle his thoughts on Bella and her story of Marie and Anthony, because when I dreamt, Carlisle was in my dreams as well. We had yet to discuss my dreams, but I wanted to know why Carlisle was popping up not only in Bella's story, but also my dreams. I felt like I had lived these lives, though I felt that to be impossible. I couldn't believe in things if they couldn't be proven by research and science…it was just not how I was raised to be. I couldn't help but wonder what Carlisle's take was on the possibilities.

"Do you believe in reincarnation, Carlisle?"

Carlisle smiled at me, and I suddenly felt cold. He had looked exactly like that in my dreams, the friendly smile and kind face of a man I thought to be like my older brother and mentor.

"I'm here aren't I, Edward? And you are too?"

Something about his answer made my blood freeze in my veins.

"I want to believe that when we die, it's not the end," Carlisle added, "I like to believe that there's…life beyond this one."

"What makes you believe that?" I asked, swallowing heavily.

Carlisle smiled again. "Love, Edward. Love makes me believe that. I can't imagine spending this life loving Esme, only to lose her after we die. I like to believe that we'll find each other again in whatever comes after this life, and we'll still share the love that we had when we first met. I would do anything to be with her for the rest of eternity. I would overcome any obstacle to find her, to be with her, to love her…do you understand what I'm saying, Anthony? A love as great as what I feel…I don't believe that's limited to one lifetime."

I just nodded, though I really didn't agree. Mostly I didn't agree because I had never felt a love like that myself. I guess he did answer my question though…apparently Carlisle believed in reincarnation and the afterlife. My mind briefly entertained the thought of him being the same Carlisle Cullen from the 1660s…but that was impossible since it was just one of Bella's stories and I was never a man named Anthony…right? I believed it wasn't possible, but then Carlisle spoke, and his words made me even more fearful of the things that were going on in my life. I remembered the first time he spoke the words, and hearing them today, served to confuse me even more.

"Love conquers all, Edward…never forget that."

I was starting to feel like I was losing a grip on what was real…and what wasn't.

**Well? Yes? No? Epically long, I know and I apologize, but who learned something new from Anthony & Marie's backstory? I hope you all did…**

**Okay, so next chapter is the one I think you've been looking forward to. By the end, I promise you'll have figured out what's going on in the story. Let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? :-D**


	10. Ch 9: Talking to the MoonRemember Me

**Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters…**

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading & reviewing! I promise, at the end of this one, you'll know what's going on. :-P **

**Special thanks to PAWsPeaches for recommending this story on The Lemonade Stand blog. Also thank you to anyone who voted for "Remember Me". I was very honored to have been included.**

**SUPER special thanks to my beta, eternally_addicted! I feel quite douchey for forgetting to thank you last chapter.**

**And last thing…I have Twitter now, under the name NoelleSeven. Feel free to follow. I'll post teasers and what not between posts so I don't leave anyone completely hanging between updates.**

Chapter 9: Talking to The Moon/Remember Me

_**I know you're somewhere out there**_

_**Somewhere far away**_

_**I want you back**_

_**I want you back**_

_**My neighbors think I'm crazy**_

_**But they don't understand**_

_**You're all I have**_

_**You're all I have**_

_**At night when the stars **_

_**Light on my room**_

_**I sit by myself**_

_**Talking to the moon**_

_**-Bruno Mars, "Talking to the Moon"**_

_Week 3, Story 3_

Robert Masen and Belle Swan had known each other since Belle's arrival on this earth. Robert had been nearly three years old at the time, and he was a constant playmate of Belle's brother, Jacob, who was also three, nearly four. Robert Masen's family were servants on the Swans' farm. Unlike many of the families in the South, the Swans were one of the rare few that didn't believe in owning slaves. They employed anyone who was willing to work, the color of their skin of little importance. The Masens were some of the Swans most treasured workers and friends. Jonathan and Martha Swan had met Richard and Claire Masen a little over four years ago. The couple was young and looking for work, after being disowned by their own families. The Swans immediately took them in. Claire was responsible for all of the cooking in the household, and Richard was a talented blacksmith and horse trainer. Claire and Martha fell pregnant at nearly the same time, and both families were overjoyed by the birth of their sons Robert and Jacob.

When little Belle Swan was born though, Robert was entranced by the small baby. He had never seen anything so tiny in his life, and while Jacob preferred to run around in the sunshine, Robert preferred to play with baby Belle and help take care of her. Claire and Martha both found it sweet, and as the years passed, Robert became a sort of protector over Belle. As she got older, Belle became equally entranced by Robert. She constantly followed Robert and Jacob on their adventures around the farm.

However, when Robert turned 14, his father Richard required him to start working with him to care for the horses. Robert didn't want to, knowing his time playing with Belle and Jacob would now be cut short. He spent his days working in the fields with other servants, or helping his father. Sometimes he would get a break to play with Jacob, and sometimes Belle would bring him something to drink. Since he was still young, Robert was given time off to play and be a child. The Swans were kind and they liked that their children had someone to play with. The children often played with a young boy named Jasper, who lived on the property next door. Together, the four children would play in the fields between their homes or ride horses in the woods.

As the years passed, Belle grew into a beautiful woman, and Robert into a handsome young man. Many eyes of the townspeople noticed them both. Even Belle's brother Jacob had grown up to be a fine looking young man. Though Jacob occasionally flirted with the girls, he hadn't found one that he wanted to court to eventually become his wife. Jacob often tried to persuade Robert to look for a girl himself, being that they were the same age, but Robert simply shied away from the idea. It didn't matter to him…because there was already a woman that he wanted to be his.

For years now, Robert had been in love with Belle. She had become a fine young woman, and now at the age of 17, he knew that it was expected of her to be looking for a husband. Belle had been his best friend since she could talk. No one knew him the way she did, and no one made his heart beat faster the way she did. It made Robert's heart ache to think of Belle marrying another man. What he didn't know, was that Belle felt the same. She knew she should be looking for a suitor. Her mother had more than once pushed the idea of marrying Jasper Whitlock, however both Belle and Jasper rejected the idea. Both felt nothing more than a friendly kind of love for each other. Plus, Jasper knew that Belle's heart lay with Robert. Even Jacob knew…though he would say nothing since he did not like the idea of his baby sister being with anyone…even if it was his best friend.

Robert and Belle spent many lazy days together, strolling in the fields or sitting under the trees. They even ventured into the woods one day and discovered a beautiful meadow that neither had ever seen before. It was here that Robert finally confessed his feelings for Belle.

"I cannot stand the thought of you being with another man…I love you, Belle," He said, holding her small hand in his.

"I love you too, Robert," Belle whispered back shyly. It seemed improper to declare such feelings, but she didn't care. She did love him, and he loved her…though she knew they would have to speak to their parents eventually. Robert would have to court her properly and they would have to be supervised in the time that they spent together.

Though Robert loved Belle, and she loved him, Robert feared that Jonathan Swan would never let a servant marry his daughter, no matter how good relations were between the two families. Would Robert be able to provide for Belle? What kind of life could he give her? How would he support their family? Belle saw the questions swimming in his eyes, and boldly pulled him towards her, pressing her lips against his.

"I love you," Belle whispered against his lips, "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. We will figure it all out."

Robert felt his heart warm at Belle's declarations of love for him, both verbally and physically. His lips tingled from his first kiss, and Belle's cheeks were flushed from her forwardness, but she didn't regret it. The two continued to visit with each other regularly, never letting things get beyond holding hands or an innocent kiss or two while hidden behind the barn. Robert suspected that others knew about he and Belle's relations, but no one had said anything to stop them, so they carried on, vowing that they would tell their parents soon.

Rumors of war were beginning to spread through the south. The thought made Belle uneasy. She knew that soon, it might be required of her brother and her friends to fight in the war that was threatening to overtake the entire country. When Belle overheard her father speaking with her mother about a man named General Lee, she knew the war was hitting close to home, and soon, their lives on the farm would be uprooted. She ran out to the barn, seeking her best friend, the man she loved more than any other…her Robert.

Robert was working on horseshoes when Belle came rushing inside. He was alarmed by the frantic look on her face and quickly took her behind the barn. Belle crushed her lips to his, frantically kissing him, wanting to forget about the possibility of saying goodbye to Robert, to Jasper, to Jacob, to her father…Belle wanted to forget about it all.

"Belle, Belle…" Robert murmured between kisses, "What is it?"

"War…" was the only word that was able to make it past Belle's trembling lips before she began to sob.

Robert held Belle tightly in his arms as she cried against his chest. He had heard the whispers amongst the other workers. There was a large war looming in the east, and he knew that it couldn't be contained any longer. It was spilling into the state of Texas. Claire Masen saw the two young adults embrace behind the barn. It broke her heart knowing that so many were going to be affected by the news.

It was the next day that news of the Conscription Law arrived at the Swans' farm. All able bodied males were to report to Houston within the week. One week. Belle sobbed in her room as her father spoke with all the men of the farm. Within seven days she would have to say goodbye to her father, her brother, her friend Jasper, and her love Robert. She gasped as she realized that it was a possibility that none of them may return home. Belle had never experienced the horrors of war, but she had heard stories. She knew she may never see Robert again.

Robert's heart raced as Jonathan Swan spoke to the men quietly. There were so many emotions coursing through his body at the moment. He had heard the tales of war from some of the older workers. He knew that many left home and never came back. He was scared that he would be one of them. He was also scared that the women would be left behind on the farm…his mother, Martha Swan, but most importantly, his Belle. How would he survive without his Belle? In seven days, he would have to say goodbye to the girl who had stolen his heart, and owned his entire being. With these thoughts, he walked back towards the house with a heavy heart. They hadn't spoken to their parents about their love, and now, there was a chance that it would never be known.

After Jonathan Swan dismissed all the men, the house was a flurry of activity. No one noticed Robert slip upstairs to Belle's quarters. She couldn't contain her tears when she opened her door and found Robert standing there. Belle sobbed, throwing herself into his arms.

"I don't want you to go!" She cried, gripping his shirt in tight fists, "I can't bare the thought!"

"I have to go," Robert whispered in her ear, his hand stroking her hair softly, "I need to make sure the war doesn't reach here…that you're kept safe."

"Other can do that!" Belle shouted, "Why does it have to be you?"

"Our fathers are going, Jacob is going, Jasper is going…how can you ask me to stay behind?"

Tears streamed down Belle's cheeks and she pushed herself from Robert's grasp. "Because I love you! I can't lose you, Robert!"

"Belle…we're leaving in three days," Robert said sadly. He wished she could understand that he had to go. He wished he could explain to her that it wasn't just the law that was making him do so, but also his pride. He wanted to be a man of the service, to be worthy of something…to fight and have her father see that he could be a man, and that he could be a man that would protect and fight for his daughter.

"Don't leave me…" Belle whispered.

"I have to…I'm doing this for us," Robert pleaded quietly.

Neither said anything for a few minutes and Robert turned and left the room silently, though with each step he felt like his heart was shattering. When the door closed, Belle collapsed on the floor, loud sobs racking her body. Robert felt his own tears slip down his cheeks as he heard her cries as he walked down the hallway.

There was much to do around the farm, and no one noticed that Belle hadn't emerged from her room the next day. Robert longed to check on her, but he was busy making his on preparations to leave with the rest of the men. It wasn't until nightfall that Robert was able to sneak away from their servants' quarters with a blanket, and back up to the main house. From the shadows, he was shocked to see Belle sitting in her window, gazing up at the full moon. Robert moved so that Belle was able to see him in the moonlight. Belle gasped, seeing Robert there, and she saw in his eyes that he was begging her to come down and talk to him. Dressing quickly and grabbing a lamp, Belle snuck out of her room and outside to meet Robert. Without a word, Robert took her hand and led her towards their meadow that they had discovered long ago. There, sitting amongst the tall grass and fragrant flowers, Belle let the tears fall down her cheeks yet again.

"I'm so scared," Belle whimpered, "I don't want you to go."

Robert pulled Belle closer so that she was sitting in his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "I know my Belle. I'm scared too."

"Then don't go," She begged.

Robert sighed and pressed a soft kiss to Belle's forehead. "I have to go Belle. It's the law…and what kind of man would I be if I stayed behind and didn't fight?"

"You'd be alive! You'd be with me!"

"I would be a coward!" Robert shouted, "I would never be seen as a man! I would be nothing!"

As Robert shouted, it dawned on Belle that he had meant what he had said the previous day: He was doing it for them.

"You're doing this for us?" Belle whispered, shock evident in her voice.

Robert's eyes softened and he took her hand in his. "I'm doing this so that I can return a man, a soldier…someone to be proud of, someone worthy. I'm doing this so I will be seen honorable enough to marry you, and not just be seen as some servant."

"Robert…" Belle trailed off, unsure of what to say. She wanted to tell him that he was worthy, that she loved him beyond words and that was all that should've mattered, but she could tell how important proving himself was. She had always known that was a sore spot for Robert.

"I'm so scared I'll never see you again," Belle said quietly, "How can you be so sure you'll return?"

"Because I love you," Robert murmured, "And I promise that I'll come back to you. I'll always come back to you."

Belle sighed and leaned her head against Robert's neck. "I shouldn't have waited to marry you. I should've told my father ages ago that you were the man I wanted to marry."

"Belle…" Robert tried to protest. He knew her father wouldn't have seen him as worthy if he had asked for her hand.

"Will you marry me now, Robert? Here in front of God?" Belle asked.

"Belle?"

"I don't want to wait for you to return to be yours. I've always been yours Robert Masen. Even if it's just God, you, and myself that know…I want to be Belle Masen."

"You're suggesting we…pretend to get married right now?" Robert asked, shocked.

"You promise that you'll come back to me?"

Robert nodded.

"Then we can have a real ceremony when you return. I want this…just in case. Please, Robert."

Robert smiled and brought Belle's hand to his lips. "All right."

There in their meadow, under the light of the full moon, Robert and Belle married each other, exchanging vows and tying pieces of a ribbon from Belle's hair around each other's wrist. As their lips pressed against each other, Belle begged Robert to make her his in every way. Though they were both scared of what tomorrow was going to bring, they undressed each other slowly, a shy blush creeping up on both their cheeks as more and more skin was revealed.

On a soft blanket in a field of flowers and tall grass, Robert and Belle shared all of themselves. Robert treated Belle as a precious treasure to be revered, and slowly hands and lips explored as two souls became one, their voices whispering the other's name the only sound to be heard dancing in the wind. Afterwards, as they lay in the moonlight wrapped in each other's arms, Robert silently prayed to God that he would return to Belle. Belle made the same silent plea as they fell asleep together. Thoughts of their parents or what the daylight would bring were far from their minds.

The day to leave was soon upon them, and Belle sat with Robert in his room as he made his final preparations. He would be taking Belle's horse Starlight. She convinced her father that Robert was in more need of a horse than she would be on the farm. As Belle stuffed the last shirt into Robert's pack, a tear slipped down her cheek, and she absentmindedly ran her hand over her stomach. Robert caught the movement and his throat closed up. He had been so foolish.

"Belle…" Robert croaked, "What…Are you…I shouldn't have…"

"Robert…"

"What if you are with child? How can I just leave the two of you like this? I can't leave you alone."

Robert tugged at his hair in frustration. He had been so certain of going to fight in the war, but now that he thought of the possibility that Belle could be pregnant with his child…he didn't know what to do anymore. Fortunately, Belle answered for him. She knew he would be jailed or killed if he didn't go along with the law. She knew it was time for her to be strong…for all of them.

"If I am with child, then I won't be alone," Belle said quietly, "I'll always have a part of you with me."

"You aren't worried about what people will say?"

Belle shook her head. "No. It will be a child created out of our love, a part of you and a part of me."

Belle felt the tears slip down her cheeks. "At least I'll always have a part of you with me…just in case."

Robert got the meaning behind her words and pulled Belle into his arms, wrapping her tightly in his embrace.

"You'll always have a part of me with you," Robert whispered, "You stole my heart the moment I saw you. It belongs to you, Belle Masen. It's always been yours."

The two held each other for a few more minutes before they heard Jonathan Swan calling for all of the men. They would be meeting up with Jasper and the rest of the men from the neighboring Whitlock property. Belle smoothed out her purple dress and went down first, going to find her mother. Robert took a few moments to compose himself before grabbing his pack and heading downstairs to say goodbye to his own mother.

Belle was in tears as she said goodbye to her father. Jonathan Swan remained stoic as he said goodbye to his baby girl and his wife. He wouldn't know that it would be the last time he would see them. When Jacob came to Belle, she threw herself into her big brother's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. How was she supposed to survive without the most important men in her life? Jacob held Belle's tiny body against this and whispered that everything would be all right. Over her shoulder, he saw Robert watching them, his own tears in his eyes as he said goodbye to his mother Claire, yet they were focused on Belle. Jacob closed his eyes and squeezed Belle tighter. He knew then that he would do anything to make sure Robert made it back to his sister.

"I'll keep him safe, Belle," Jacob whispered in his sister's ear, "I'll make sure Robert comes back to you."

Jacob pulled away and placed a kiss on his sister's forehead. "I love you, Belle. Take care of Ma."

Belle could only nod, her body feeling like it could barely support her. She knew the worst goodbye of them all was yet to come, and it was taking everything in her to keep standing. Her vision blurred as Robert approached her slowly. Dropping his pack to the ground, Belle quickly replaced the empty place in his arms, not caring anymore who was watching. Robert crushed her to his chest, attempting to memorize the feel of her body against his, the floral scent of her hair, and soft tone of her voice. He didn't want her face to be sad when he pulled away, so he whispered the only comforting words he could think of.

"Belle? Do you remember the moon?" He whispered, "The moon that we married in front of? Do you remember how it shone down upon us as we looked up at the night sky?"

Belle nodded against his neck.

"Until I return, when you miss me, look up at the moon, and know that I am seeing the same moon, that somewhere I am seeing the same sky as you, and that soon I'll be back in your arms."

Her soft whimpers made Robert hold her tighter, and he buried his nose in her hair. "I love you, Belle Masen. I'll always come back to you."

"I love you, Robert Masen."

Not caring who saw, Robert pulled back and placed a soft kiss on Belle's lips. Jonathan Swan was not entirely pleased, but there were bigger matters to attend to. When they returned to the farm, they would sit down with the Masens and discuss this matter. With one last squeeze, and deep breath of her scent, Robert let Belle go. Swiftly wiping the few tears from his cheeks, he mounted Starlight and with one final look, took off with the rest of the men down the path from their home, and towards the battle that loomed in the distance.

Belle held herself together until the last man disappeared out of their gate. She collapsed with a loud sob, her mother quickly coming to her side. With the help of Claire Masen, Belle was escorted inside and taken to bed. Both women felt for the hysterical young woman as she sobbed uncontrollably. The two mothers looked at each other with sad knowing smiles. Their children were deeply, deeply in love, and now were being torn apart by the tragedy of war.

For days, Belle didn't leave her room. She wasn't prepared to speak with her mother. Far away, Robert wasn't much better. He followed his orders and went through the motions, but he missed Belle. He wrote her a letter every day, telling her how much he missed her. He didn't mention their possible child. He wasn't sure he could handle the thought of Belle caring for their child on her own. He'd rather not think of it right now. Eventually, the two became used to the absence of the other, and they grew accustomed to their new routines without each other.

Belle was finally getting used to being without Robert, trying not to get ahead of herself and think too much about the future. However, she still had not spoken to her mother or Claire Masen about her relationship with Robert. With the men gone, the women had to tend to the farm and chores. Belle was walking back to the main house when she felt it…a familiar pain in her abdomen. Belle whimpered, clutching her stomach, and feeling a familiar wetness between her legs. She fell to her knees as the tears began to flow down her cheeks. Having seen Belle from a window in the kitchen, her mother quickly ran out to her. Through her tears, Belle explained her distress over her monthly bleeding, and Martha Swan held her daughter close as she let go of one possibility for she and Robert's future.

Months passed with many nights spent with Robert and Belle staring at the same moon, but still not in each other's arms. Belle had received a large stack of letters, but none were recent. The weather had changed, seasons come and gone…yet word of Robert, Jacob, and Jasper had not come to the farm. Belle was distraught to learn her father had been killed, and not long after Richard Masen met the same fate. Trying her best to stay strong for the two women who had both become mothers to her, Belle hung on to the hope that Jacob, Jasper, and Robert would return home. When Claire Masen died at the beginning of Spring, Belle began to lose hope. The Whitlocks received word that Jasper was missing and considered dead, and the day the same rider came to their house, Belle ran, not wanting to acknowledge that either her brother or love were dead.

Running blindly through her tears, Belle's feet led her to the meadow where she and Robert had married each other in front of God. Belle collapsed to her knees, overcome by her tears. She let out a scream that would've scared off any predator in the area.

"You promised!" Belle screamed, pounding her fists on the ground, "You promised…"

She sobbed and shouted until her body couldn't hold her up anymore. Collapsing on the new flowers and grass that had begun to bloom, Belle whimpered quietly, repeating Robert's name over and over again. She lay there for an immeasurable amount of time, never wanting to go back to the house and see what news had arrived. She felt numb as she lay there, not wanting to believe what was happening. She was so sure Robert was going to be coming back to her. She jumped when she heard a stick snapping and sat up, scared that she was in danger.

Belle wasn't sure if she was dreaming, and she wasn't sure if it was a good dream or a nightmare. Standing in front of her was Robert…but there was blood seeping down his left arm, and soaked through his clothes. Belle felt like she couldn't breathe as she stared at the man in front of her. He had a long beard and longer hair, and his body was significantly thinner than it had been the last time she saw him.

"Belle…" Robert rasped. He was weak and wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or not.

"Robert…" Belle whispered, struggling to her feet, "Robert…"

"Belle!" Robert said louder, moving towards her.

Belle called his name again as she ran to him and screamed when Robert collapsed in front of her. Belle soon found herself on her knees again and cradling Robert in her arms.

"Robert! Robert!" Belle cried frantically, shaking his shoulders.

"Belle…"

"No! No!" Belle screamed, as Robert's eyes slid closed. She screamed and screamed for help, praying someone from the farm would hear her.

Several workers came running, as others were comforting Martha Swan, as she had just learned that her son was missing and considered dead. The women who found Belle and Robert worked quickly, assembling a horse and wagon and bringing it as close to the meadow as possible. Belle was calmed when she was told Robert was still breathing, and several of the women moved Robert into a thick blanket so they could carry him out of the woods. Seeing her daughter and the flurry of activity coming from the woods, Martha Swan hurried to see what was going on. She was shocked to see Robert and quickly led the others to a guest room.

Belle was frantic as her mother and the other women tended to Robert's wound. She heard them say he had been shot and she gasped. One of the older women, Katherine, led Belle out of the room despite her protests. She felt like she was barely holding it together. Would God be so cruel as to bring Robert home to her and take him away minutes later? Belle cried in Katherine's arms as she prayed that wouldn't be the case. She had no doubt that Robert had cheated death to get home to her…surely God wouldn't take him away now.

Martha Swan was a talented seamstress and good with her hands. She was able to remove the bullet from Robert's shoulder and sew closed his wound, though it would leave an ugly scar. Having removed Robert's dirty clothes, the women used damp clothes to clean the dirt from his skin and covered him with blankets. He was still unconscious, but Martha Swan knew she could not keep her daughter from Robert any longer. She knew how much Belle loved Robert, and though her own heart was hurting for her husband and son, part of her was happy that Robert was with Belle again.

Belle sat by Robert's side for days, waiting for him to come back to her. During those days, she kept him cool with wet clothes, and even shaved his beard and cut his hair. One afternoon, as she ran her fingertips over Robert's stubble covered cheek, Robert began to stir, and mumbled Belle's name. Belle gasped, tears springing to her eyes.

"Robert…" She whispered. Again she heard his voice murmur her name as his head began to move.

That day, Robert opened his eyes to see the love of his life hovering over him. He had been positive he was dead, until he felt Belle's lips against his forehead and cheeks. Belle was incredibly relieved…Robert had cheated death and returned to her. It took a month for Robert to heal completely and gain his energy back, but Belle was at his side every step of the way, and when Robert was healed, he and Belle married each other in a small ceremony in the back of the main house. Martha Swan was overjoyed that he daughter had found happiness even though she herself had not. Robert and Belle spent their blissful wedding night together, happily reconnected in every way.

Months passed, and as summer was in sight, Robert had returned to helping the women in the field. Martha couldn't bear to send Robert back to the war…she didn't want to do that to both Robert and Belle. They deserved their happiness, and now that Belle was with child, Martha knew Robert's place was here. She knew now, his status would've meant nothing to her daughter had the war never started. Belle was always destined to marry Robert. Robert spent his days helping in the field while Belle remained indoors and stayed off her feet. At night, they lay wrapped in each other's arms, looking at the moon, or laughing as Robert talked to the small bump that became visible on Belle's abdomen. All were looking forward to the coming months despite all they had lost in the war. They were looking forward to welcoming new life.

Word had spread over the land of the farm that was run only my women. Looters who were on the run from the law and fighting in the war went from house to house, stealing and plundering what they would. One warm night as Robert was putting out all the lights in the main house, he saw them coming with their torches. Many of the women woke screaming as these men invaded the home. Robert tried to fight off as many of them as he could while trying to get all the women out of the home. Belle was trying to help get everyone out despite Robert's protests for her to run. Robert killed two of the men while the others began to make off with their discovered goods. As one ran from the house, he threw his torch at the drapes in the main room, quickly setting fire to the house. Robert ran towards the group of women in the back of the home, scared and huddled together. The house was going up quickly and Robert frantically looked for Belle. Seeing Martha Swan without her daughter, Robert panicked.

"Where is Belle?" Robert shouted.

"She was searching for others on the second floor," Katherine coughed.

Robert sprinted back to the house, ignoring the shouts of others as he did so. There were burning timbers and patches of fire all around, and Robert barely made it up the stairs, his arms being singed by some of the flames. He found Belle in one of the bedrooms, coughing heavily and on her knees. As he ran into the room, flames followed and blocked their only exit from the room. Belle was relieved to see Robert, thinking she was surely going to die without him. Following Robert's advice to stay low and avoid the smoke, Belle remained where she was, closing herself around their unborn child as best she could. Robert ran to the window, and seeing a tree he knew they would have a way to escape.

"ROBERT, LOOK OUT!" Belle screamed.

A beam fell out of nowhere, hitting Robert in the back and knocking him to the ground, pinning him there. He began to scream as he felt the flames begin to bite at his skin. Belle was horrified and through her tears she crawled towards Robert, gripping his hand. Through his screams, Robert saw Belle staring at the window and yelled for Belle to get out and save herself, but she couldn't leave him. The smoke was suffocating, but Belle held on to Robert, vowing to never let go of his hand. Through the pain, Belle heard Robert cry out one last time in pain before he was silent. Belle closed her eyes and let the tears come. She whispered her last words before the floor beneath her engulfed her and blackness took her.

"_I'll find you again."

* * *

_

"_ROBERT, LOOK OUT!"_

_I am hit with such a weight, I feel my leg crunch beneath it, and immediately excruciating pain and heat begin to lick up my body. I scream, not recognizing the sound leaving my mouth, but above it all, hear a malicious laughter I can't recognize. I see Belle, pregnant with our child, crawling towards me and I scream for her to get out and save herself. Tears are pouring down her cheeks and Belle shakes her head as her hand grips mine. I scream and scream, torn between wanting the pain to end and wanting Belle to get to safety. I hear Belle whimper and I see her and she's…she's radiant. Gold and white silk robes and a golden crown upon her head. I can see her so clearly as she grips my hand tightly. The pain is overwhelming and I can feel myself giving in…I've lost her again, and the pain from that realization rips out my heart and with my last breath, I scream for her._

"CIGNA!"

I panicked, my hands flying all over my body, half expecting to find flames burning my hands. I can feel my chest heaving and my heart is thundering so loud and fast that it's all I can hear. My eyes darted around the room, and I realized that I fell asleep on the couch in my living room. I eyed the bottle of caffeine pills on the table and quickly grabbed it, swallowing two quickly with the bottle of water that was also there. I rubbed my eyes furiously, not believing that I was able to fall asleep. I couldn't bear to dream anymore.

My dreams, and nightmares if you will, were getting more intense with every story Bella told me. They were more like dreams than memories, but I could no longer handle them. So much death and violence and pain…I'd rather stay awake than experience the torture that my dreams brought me. I woke up screaming every time I fell asleep…reliving Eduardo, Anthony, or Robert's deaths over and over again. Part of me wanted to run, but the other part of me needed to know why this was happening. I had figure out what Isabella Swan was doing to me. This was all happening to me because of her.

* * *

_**Don't forget to remember me**_

_**I'll be back so remember me**_

_**Please keep me in your mind if we ever have to part**_

_**Don't forget to remember me**_

_**-T.I. feat. Mary J. Blige, "Remember Me"**_

_Week 4, Story 4_

The world was a different place when Prince Murato was born. The people worshiped there gods and goddess without question, kings and queens reigned, and sorcerers and magic gave advice when needed. King Vocato and Queen Matre loved their only son dearly, and only wanted the best for him. Many wondered about the prince because at the age of 24, almost 25, he was still not married, and the King was getting older and his health was not what it once was.

Prince Murato had no desire to search for a wife. He was well read, and while his father often told him it was foolish, Murato hoped to find a love like he read in stories and legends. He wanted a true love, someone who made him want to wake up every day, someone who he would do anything for, be anything for…he didn't want to marry simply because of duty or title. To escape the politics of the castle, Murato would often disappear to the surrounding woods and go hunting on his own. He was a talented archer and swordsman, and if he wasn't hunting, often just enjoyed sitting under a tree or taking a swim in the river.

One day, Murato was walking through the woods and came upon a meadow he had never seen before. As he entered the open space of fragrant flowers, he froze, his eyes locked on the form who stood in the midst of the purple and yellow blooms. He had never seen her before, but everything in his being told him that she was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. Her hair was long and curled down to her waist. Her skin was pale, like the color of milk, and her eyes…he had never seen such eyes before. One might think they were just brown, but Murato saw so much more in them. He saw spirit and fire, and he wanted to know her immediately.

"Who are you?" He asked, stepping closer.

The girl dropped the flowers she was holding and took a step back. "No one of importance, my lord."

Murato was instantly irritated. He did not like being referred to as "my lord" or "highness" or any other regal title.

"How do you know who I am?" He demanded.

"My lord…you are the unmarried prince. Everyone knows who you are," the girl smirked.

"What is your name, girl?" Murato sneered. He did not like the way this girl spoke to him.

The girl's eyes narrowed. "I am no one. Just a lowly commoner, _Prince_ Murato."

Murato opened his mouth, ready to say something he would surely regret, but they were interrupted.

"Cigna! Why must you always wander…Oh! My lord, forgive my intrusion," the tall, young man said, bowing his head. This only served to irritate Murato more. Who was this man? Was he…Cigna's husband?

"Your intrusion was welcomed," Cigna muttered under her breath. Both men heard her and Murato bristled when he saw the other man shove Cigna with his arm.

"My lord, please forgive my sister. She forgets her place sometimes."

Murato simply waved his arm, all sorts of emotions raging through him. He was irritated and on edge…yet he didn't want Cigna to go.

"Well, Lupo," Cigna said, "I'm sure we must be going. Some of us have actual work we must attend to."

"Cigna!" Lupo snapped, appalled by his sister's attitude towards the prince. "Please, spare her my lord. She is simply tired, having worked too long in the sun today."

Too confused by his attraction the rude, but beautiful girl, Murato waved them away before turning and stomping off back in the direction he came from. When he was gone, Lupo shoved his sister again.

"What was that, Cigna? The prince could have you killed for behaving that way! Or do you really want to end up in the palace, slave to their sorcerers as an oracle? He could have you banished there too! And all of mother and father's hard work to keep you from that fate would be for nothing!"

Cigna bowed her head, feeling terrible. She wasn't sure why she had spoken to the prince the way she had. All she knew, was that he was more beautiful that she could have ever imagined. Many spoke of the prince's good looks, but Cigna had never seen him herself, having spent much of her life hiding and avoiding becoming an oracle. The disgusting old me only sought the most beautiful girls to be oracles…it had nothing to do with whether or not these girls actually had the gift of sight.

"I don't know," Cigna finally answered her brother. She fleetingly wondered if she would ever see the prince again, but quickly banished those thoughts. She was the daughter of a farmer, a no one…there was no reason for her to associate with the prince ever again. However, as the days passed, Cigna could not stop thinking about the prince. She wanted to see the flash of fire and passion she had seen in his green eyes when she spoke to him. She longed to see what he looked like smiling, his full lips and angular jaw making him even more devastatingly beautiful. Each day her heart ached a little more. She knew she was not destined to see the prince again.

What Cigna did not know, was that the prince thought of her daily as well. The way her full, red lips curved into her smirk…he could help but think of how beautiful she would be smiling. Her eyes seemed to dance and drew him in, and he wanted nothing more than to see her again. He was not sure about how he would find her, but he knew he wanted to. More than anything, he wanted to find the beautiful girl named Cigna who had stolen his heart without him knowing.

One day, hidden beneath a heavy, hooded cloak, and dressed in plain clothes, Murato snuck into the town, determined to find Cigna. After hours of wandering the town and keeping to the shadows, Murato spied Lupo, Cigna's brother walking through the town square. Again sticking to the shadows, Murato followed Lupo, and was pleased to see that Lupo had led him to his home. Murato saw a man and a woman in the yard, hanging clothing to dry on a line. It was easy to see that Cigna looked like her mother, but the dark color of her hair and her eyes were from her father. Murato was surprised to see Cigna sneaking into the forest behind the house. He quickly followed her into the woods, wondering where she was going. He was quickly surprised to see that Cigna had gone back to the meadow that he had originally seen her in. He watched for a few moments as she picked flowers, but before long, he couldn't help but make his presence known.

"May I join you, Cigna?"

The girl jumped and dropped her flowers, wondering if she was hearing things. There was no way she was really hearing the velvet voice of the prince. Turning slowly, she was shocked to see him standing there.

"What are you- I mean, my lord," Cigna said, catching herself and bowing.

Murato quickly stepped forward, raising his hand. "Please don't…just…just call me Murato."

Cigna felt her cheeks heat. She didn't know what to say to the prince. He was being so nice…almost hesitant in his approach to her. Murato was entranced by the color of her cheeks and the way she spoke in such a quiet, soft voice today.

"As you wish…Murato," Cigna said shyly. How many times a day since they met, had she thought of Murato? Why was he here? Cigna had to know.

Murato was only a foot away from Cigna now, both of them looking into the other's eyes. Both could feel their bodies shaking and weren't sure what it meant, but they were both absolutely drawn to each other. They had to be near each other. Since that first day in the meadow, Murato and Cigna had to see each other.

"How did you find me?" Cigna asked quietly, her eyes never leaving Murato's. Murato smiled shyly and Cigna felt her heart skip a beat. He was so beautiful when he smiled.

"I might have followed your brother through town."

Cigna gasped, "Isn't that dangerous for you? Without guards?"

"No," Murato smiled, fighting the itch in his hand to reach out and touch Cigna, "I am by myself quite often. I spend a lot of my time in the woods."

"Oh…" was all Cigna could say. She was worried about the prince's safety. Surely he shouldn't be by himself all the time. What if something happened to him?

"I…" Murato took a deep breath, "I would like to spend my time with you…if you would accept."

Cigna's cheeks turned a deeper read, but she nodded shyly. "I think I would like that."

From that day on, Murato and Cigna snuck from their homes and spent their time together in their secret meadow. They would often lie in the grass and talk, Cigna curious about Murato's hunting in the woods and palace life, and Murato curious about Cigna's family life in the town. They even shared their first, tentative kiss in their meadow. Both knew it was inappropriate, but couldn't fight the building tension between them. They shared many more kisses after that. The day Cigna came to the meadow expecting Murato to behave like any other, she was shocked. Murato was hunched over on his knees, his face buried in his hands. Cigna quickly rushed to his side.

"Murato!" She cried, "What is it?"

"My father…" Murato choked out, "He's…dead."

Cigna was shocked, but wrapped Murato tightly in her arms. She knew what that meant for him…but she was unsure of where that would leave her. Cigna knew she had come to love the prince…but surely he was expected to marry a princess to become queen…not a lowly commoner.

"I don't know what to do…" Murato whispered, "I love you, Cigna…I cannot do this without you."

Cigna knew Murato was reluctant to become king, and now they were faced with a very big problem, but all she could hear was his words…he loved her.

"I love you, Murato…we'll figure something out."

As was expected, the sorcerers who advised the king, were pressuring Murato to take a wife to be his queen. None more so than the leader of the group, the sorcerer named Caccio. Queen Matre knew her son was different and suspected that he had already met someone. As her son paced in front of her in the throne room, she called him to her side. Murato came willingly and knelt in front of her. Queen Matre cradled her son's face in her hands.

"My dear, Murato…what is troubling you my son?"

Murato sighed and closed his eyes. "Caccio…he is demanding that I marry right away."

The old Queen smiled and leaned forward, kissing her son's forehead.

"There is no law saying you must marry royalty," She whispered, "The king had the right to marry who he chooses."

Murato pulled back to stare at his mother. She smiled faintly.

"I was not always royalty, my son."

Queen Matre could hardly contain her happiness as she watched Murato rush from the chamber. She knew she had been right and that her son was in love. It explained so much of his anguish. When he arrived on his horse, right in front of Cigna's home, her family was surprised, but none more so than Cigna, when Murato dropped to his knees in front of her, professed his love in front of her family, and asked her to be his queen. Through her tears and happiness, Cigna managed to squeak out a, "yes", and was soon swept up in Murato's arms.

Caccio was furious to hear that the prince was choosing a commoner for his queen. Even more so when he saw that his future queen was so shockingly beautiful. She should have been taken as an oracle. Despite his attempts to stop the wedding, claiming that Cigna was meant to be an oracle, and it was a bad omen from the gods, Murato married Cigna anyway, unwilling to sacrifice his love and willing to defy the gods. The pair were married in a beautiful ceremony by the sorcerers and priests, who were unwilling to risk death when threatened by Queen Matre. Caccio was missing from the palace, but Murato was not worried about him any longer. He was confident that with his love by his side, he could rule as king.

After their traditional wedding night and consummation of their marriage, Murato and Cigna lived happily in the palace. Murato brought Cigna's parents and brothers to live and work in the palace, and Queen Matre happily gave up her crown to Cigna, whom she had grown to love like her own daughter. The townspeople loved Murato, and loved seeing that he chose one of their own as his queen. Anyone who looked at the two could see how in love they were.

As time passed and the weather became colder, Caccio made his plan to steal the beautiful queen for his own. She should have been an oracle…used for the pleasure of the sorcerers and priests as they made their predictions. He learned the routine of the young king and queen, knowing that they liked to take walks in the woods together. Murato often took weapons with him at Cigna's request, to show her how to shoot a bow and arrow and handle a sword.

This day, Murato was happily holding his queen in his arms and swinging her around in circles. He was content with her love and having her by his side, but he was overjoyed by the news that Cigna was pregnant with his heir. As the two shared a passionate kiss, Caccio made himself known.

"You should have listened to me, King," Caccio shouted, walking into the meadow, his cloaks billowing in the wind.

Cigna was scared and hid behind Murato's body. Murato instantly shielded her with himself. He was never fond of Caccio, and knew of his fascination with his wife.

"What are you doing here, Caccio?" Murato growled.

"Taking what was always mine."

"You can try," Murato shouted, drawing his sword. "Cigna, stay back, my love."

Cigna was terrified. She knew Murato did not put much stock in the sorcerers' and priests' powers, but she believed. She did not know what Caccio was capable of. She shrank back against a tree as Caccio drew a long sword. She knew Murato was a skilled swordsman, but she still feared for his life. She screamed when the first sound of metal against metal rang out through the woods. Murato and Caccio whirled around each other, their swords moving at almost dizzying speeds.

Caccio fought with all his might, underestimating how skilled an opponent King Murato would be. He waved his hand and the king's sword flew out of his hand across the field. Cigna screamed as Caccio's sword sliced Murato's arm and Caccio punched him in the face, sending him sprawling backwards. Seeing Murato land in a still heap, Caccio was satisfied he had won. Tossing his sword aside, he whirled around to face Cigna. Cigna cowered against the tree. She knew Caccio had used his powers to knock Murato's sword away. Caccio grinned…he would use his magic to whisk the young queen away, and tonight he would have his way with her, the king never being able to find them.

Caccio inhaled deeply, "I've been waiting for you, my queen."

Cigna was shaking as Caccio reached for her, and let out a loud scream when Caccio's discarded blade burst through his chest.

"You will not touch her," Murato growled, driving Caccio's sword deeper into his chest.

Pushing Caccio's body away from them, Cigna rushed to Murato's side, holding him tightly.

"Are you all right?" She whispered, as Murato never took his eyes off of Caccio's crumpled body.

"Fine, my love," Murato answered, and finally turned to face Cigna. "Are you okay?"

Cigna nodded and Murato wrapped his arms around her tighter. "Come, my love. Let us head home. I must report this…this attack."

As the pair turned to go, they heard a garbled laugh. The pair froze and turned, seeing Caccio move and prop himself up against a true. Blood poured from the wound on his chest, and trickled from his mouth.

"A curse," Caccio coughed, "On you both. So determined to be together…doomed to be apart for eternity."

"What are you talking about?" Murato growled. Cigna tugged on his sleeve but he ignored her.

"You and anyone who loved you…punished…doomed to never rest. Your souls shall be brought back again and again…never to find peace. You will long for each other, while one of you forgets, the other will remember everything. You will suffer…doomed to repeat the same fate should you find each other…over and over again for all eternity…"

Caccio coughed violently and more blood spilt from his mouth as a cold breeze blew through the meadow. Cigna shivered, holding Murato tight and was truly afraid of the dying sorcerer's words.

"Curses can be broken," Murato challenged.

Caccio laughed, blood flowing down his chin. "Cheat a mortal death, young king, and you will break the curse."

Caccio laughed more, and coughed, choking on his own blood. "You cannot cheat death. You are all…doomed…"

Murato couldn't bear to hear anymore and unleashed his fury on the dying sorcerer, punching him in the face, and hitting him repeatedly.

"You lie!" He yelled, "I don't believe you!"

Cigna screamed for him to stop, but it was too late. Caccio was dead, and Cigna feared that his curse had been cast. Realizing he was dead, Murato let Caccio's limp body fall to the ground, and he shivered when the wind began to whip around them. He didn't believe in the sorcerers' and priests' predictions and magic…but for the first time, he felt afraid.

"Come…" Cigna whispered, "I want to go home…please, Murato. I'm scared."

Murato quickly escorted his wife away from their meadow and back to the palace. He tried to ignore it…but there was something different in the air. The fear he hoped to leave behind in the meadow seemed to follow him as he and Cigna rushed back into the throne room to explain to the other priests and sorcerers what had just happened. As they entered the room, Queen Matre was seated talking with her attending ladies as the priests and sorcerers spoke to her about the changes in the weather.

"Mother…" Murato started, but didn't get a chance to finish as we was violently pushed to the side by Cigna.

Vedere was one of Caccio's loyal oracles and she had disguised herself in priests' robes. Caccio had made her promise him to kill Murato if the young king and queen returned to the castle. Vedere was shocked when the blade instead sank into the chest of the young queen and not the king. Cigna's shocked cry rang out through the hall, and it was soon followed by and anguished wail as Murato saw what had happened.

Unknown to Vedere, the other priests and sorcerers were hoping for a sign from their leader Caccio that would lead them to an uprising. Sensing that this was it, they began to rebel against the royal guard. Murato could only see his love on the floor as chaos erupted around him. Vedere ran off scared, having heard of the king's skills with a sword, but the king made no move for his sword. His gaze was only on that of his beloved queen. He did not see his mother brutally killed or her attendants. Murato fell to his knees and pulled Cigna into his arms.

"I'm so sorry, my love," Murato cried, "I'm so sorry."

"I'll find you," Cigna coughed, the blood from the wound on her chest beginning to run down her body and onto Murato's legs.

"What if you don't remember me?" Murato whispered, tears running down his eyes as he remembered Caccio's word.

"I'll find you," Cigna gasped, her lungs burning as they fought to keep her alive.

"Don't leave me," Murato cried, "please…my love…"

"Just…" Cigna choked with her last breath, "remember…me…"

"Cigna!" Murato cried, but someone slashed his throat from behind, and his body fell to the floor, still cradling the body of his dead love.

* * *

"You're lying!" I shouted, standing up suddenly. "Why are you lying?"

I began to pace and tug at my hair. I hadn't slept in days…the last time having only been for an hour at the most. The nightmares were getting to be too much. Each dying breath, all the blood…it couldn't have been real! My body felt weak, but I pushed myself to keep pacing. I had to figure out why she was lying to me. She had to be lying…I was right here, living and breathing as was she. The story she told couldn't have been true. None of them could've been true. I was never Eduardo, I was never Anthony, and I was never Robert. I turned to face her where she sat in one of my chairs. My entire body was shaking with confusion and rage at her lying to me.

"WHY ARE YOU LYING TO ME, CIGNA?" I screamed.

I watched as her eyes went wide. "M-m-murato?"

I fell to my knees in front of her, my body aching and tired from her lies and lack of sleep.

"Stop telling me stories…stop telling me lies…Cigna…please, my love…"

I looked up into her deep brown eyes, eyes that I knew so well, and searched for the answers.

"Do you…" She paused, "Do you remember…everything?"

"Does it matter, my love? We're together," I said, reaching up and cupping her cheeks in my hands.

"No, but Ed-"

I heard no more and pulled her small body towards mine, crushing my lips to hers.

**Well? Yes? No? I will say this: there are 6 more chapters and an epilogue. Based on what you already know, make of that what you will. Did you all figure it out? **

**Some helpful definitions (and they're all based off the Italian language):**

**Cigna = female swan**

**Murato = from "muratore" which means "mason"**

**Caccio = from "cacciatore" which means "hunter"**

**Lupo = ahem, male wolf**

**Vocato = from "avvocato" which means "lawyer"**

**Matre = from "madre" which means "mother"**

**Hope those help. Let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? Update soonish :-D**


	11. Ch 10:  Timing Is Everything

**Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters...**

**A/N: Thank you for reading & reviewing! All right…this is a big chapter. I just ask/beg/plead that you read all the way through and TRUST me. Please? :-) **

**As always, my biggest thanks to my beta eternally_addicted. She keeps me in line and lets me bounce all these crazy ideas off of her. :-P**

**And yes…the song is sung by Garrett Hedlund (unless it's a remake I don't know about…) He sang it in "Country Strong", and sweet geezus do I have the biggest crush on him. January was a good month with "TRON: Legacy" and "Country Strong". :-D**

_**Well you can call it fate or destiny **_

_**Sometimes it really seems like it's a mystery **_

'_**Cause you can be hurt by love **_

_**Or healed by the same **_

_**Timing is everything **_

_**And it can happen so fast **_

_**Or a little bit late **_

_**Timing is everything**_

_**-Garrett Hedlund, "Timing Is Everything" **_

Chapter 10: Timing Is Everything

_**BPOV**_

My heart felt like it was going to explode in my chest.

_He remembers._

Everything felt like it was out of control, like everything was where it was supposed to be and wasn't all at the same time. Edward's lips were hard and insistent, pulling and sucking at my own, but his hands were soft as they held my cheeks. They slipped down to my shoulders and wrapped around to hold his body up as he molded himself against me. He pressed me further back so I was lying down on the chair in his office, my butt on the edge and my feet flat on the floor. Edward knelt between my parted knees, pressing against me. I gasped, feeling how hard he was.

_He remembers._

His chest pressed against mine and it felt so good I wanted to cry. My arms wrapped around his back and I held him tightly to me. How I had missed feeling him in my arms! I had been distraught, thinking I might never really feel him in my arms again. It had been almost 150 years since I had felt his body, felt his lips against mine, felt his hands on my body…I craved it, wanted it…His lips began kissing all over my face urgently and I could barely breathe.

"You're here, you're here…" He murmured between fierce kisses against my skin. I could barely breathe as his hands moved to my sides and began to skim along the bare flesh that had been exposed by my shirt riding up.

_He remembers._

I couldn't hold the tears back any longer, and the dam burst. I had been waiting for him, searching for him, for over a century, remembering every part of our past together, and remembering how I had lost him each and every time. It wouldn't happen this time. The Cullens were here, Carlisle was here, and he would help us again. We were going to break the curse…I was sure of it.

"Don't cry, my love," Edward murmured, "I'm here."

"I missed you," I sobbed, "I missed you so much."

"I'm right here," Edward breathed against my neck, kissing my pulse point softly.

I needed to feel his lips against mine again. I had lived without them for so long, and dreams and memories were nothing compared to the real thing. Cupping his cheeks, I pulled his face up to mine and kissed his lips with every ounce of intensity I could muster. I was overwhelmed by everything, and the only thing that mattered was that he was here in my arms. I gasped against his lips when I felt his fingers curl into the top of the flimsy scrubs we were required to wear here.

"I need you, Cigna," Edward groaned against my skin, "I need to get you out of these abominable clothes."

I couldn't help but moan as he pressed against me, his need quite obvious. My body reacted instantly, though there was a small tickling in the back of my mind telling me to wait. I ignored it…I couldn't wait any longer. Edward's lips were against mine again and his strong hands pulled urgently at the top of my pants and panties. I lifted my hips to help him and fisted my hands in his hair, making him moan against my lips. I shivered, but it wasn't from the air my skin was now exposed to. His touch and urgency reminded me of Eduardo and Robert, and how overcome with need they would be some days after long hours of work. His large hands practically encircled my body as he pushed my shirt and bra up over my breasts. I moaned loudly as he began to work his way down my neck to my torso. Part of me knew that I should be quieter, but another part of me believed that this was right and nothing was going to interrupt us.

"So beautiful, so soft…I want you…" Edward murmured against my skin.

I could feel the wetness building between my legs. This body had never known the joys of the flesh so to speak, but my mind remembered. My mind remembered every single time, every touch, every ounce of passion that I felt…My mind was fighting a losing battle with my body. Every cell within me wanted to be consumed by Edward.

"Please…" I whimpered.

Edward groaned and bit down on my breast making me gasp. My hands began tugging on his shirt and Edward's touch disappeared from my body. As he continued to lick and suck at my chest, I could feel him moving between us, fumbling with his belt as he went. My own fingers shook as I tried to undo the buttons of his shirt. Soon Edward was knocking my hands away and grabbing my wrists to put my arms around his neck.

"I can't wait…" Edward nearly growled.

"Please…wai-" I panted, but I screamed out instead.

Edward's body was pressed tightly against mine, and his arms held me tightly as he moaned loudly, drowning out my cries. He had thrust quickly and all the way inside, breaking my barrier. As he moaned, I dug my nails into his back and bit my lip to keep from crying out. I couldn't keep the tears at bay though, and it felt like Edward was ripping me in half.

"Uhhhhh…so good…so good…" Edward murmured against my neck as he began to thrust quickly.

I clenched my eyes shut and I could taste the blood in my mouth from biting my lip so hard. I tried to tell myself that we had been through this before. Murato, Eduardo, and Anthony had not been the gentlest of lovers the first time. I clutched at Edward tighter, telling myself he remembered himself as Murato now and it would be over soon.

"Oh, Cigna…Cigna…I've missed you…" Edward moaned between kisses and nips at my neck.

"Please…please…" I cried, the tears beginning to fall down my cheeks. I remembered the pain of my deaths and other first times…none of them hurt as much as this. With each movement of his hips, Edward felt like he was splitting me wide open. Soon…it would be over soon.

_He remembers. He's in your arms again. It will be okay._

I tried to gain control over my tears and shaky breaths. Edward remembered, and he was in my arms…it was everything that I wanted. Surely I would be able to handle the pain. He had always been a very enthusiastic lover and nothing had changed.

"Oh, God…I can't hold on…" Edward groaned.

My voice seemed to echo in the room as Edward shifted his body, and his moans reverberated throughout his office as well. The weight of his body against my chest was gone and he was now on his knees, gripping my hips tightly. I cried out again and again as Edward's thrusts became harder and quicker.

_Soon…you'll have everything you wanted soon…_

I cracked my eyes open, and my breath caught in my throat as an inkling of doubt crept up my spine. Edward's eyes were closed. He wasn't watching at all. His head was thrown back, and he kept chanting, "yes" and "Cigna" over and over again as his movements became jerky. A sob tore from my throat at the unknown feeling of doubt began to grow in my chest. My cries ripped from my throat as I felt like I was being stretched even more and as if Edward was swelling inside of me. The tears spilled from my eyes when I looked down to where we were joined. There was blood...more than I thought there would be.

"Stop!" I cried, as Edward began to moan, his movements choppy, "Stop, please! It hurts! It hurts!"

Edward's body went rigid and he let out a low moan.

I sobbed and shook his forearms where his hands still had a grip on my hips.

"Edward!" I shouted, "Look at me! Edward!"

His entire body flinched and his head snapped up.

"No…" I sobbed.

Edward pushed back from me wildly, landing on his backside and scrambling backwards. The panic was evident in his face, his green eyes wide and his entire body seemed to pale despite the orgasm and activity he just exerted. I understood the feeling that had crept up my spine and was now lodged in my chest.

_He didn't remember._

"No…no, no, no…." Edward shook his head frantically, "What have I done…"

"Edward? Murato?" I sniffled, trying to shift my body and move from the position I was in. I winced in pain, and Edward screamed loudly.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"Edward…please…" I whimpered.

He stumbled to his feet, his face becoming horrified as he saw the blood that covered his crotch area.

"What did you make me do?" Edward said in disbelief, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?"

"N-nothing….please, Edward…you…you remembered…"

"No!" Edward shouted, "You…you and your…your tricks! How did you make me do it? Did you drug me?"

I pushed myself and managed to roll myself up into a little ball in the chair. I had never seen him like this before…ever. Not once had he ever screamed and yelled at me like this. I had never seen him this angry before. I didn't want to think it, but I was terrified of him at the moment.

"You drugged me. That has to be it…you're all in it together in some sick, fucked up way! You, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Alice…you're all in on it! Drugging me and making me believe stories that aren't real! What the fuck is this place?"

I just curled around myself further. I had waited too long, approached this all in the wrong way. My timing was completely off and now, now Edward didn't believe any of us. Edward hastily pulled his clothes back on and I sobbed as I realized that there was no way I would be able to convince him now. The only way would be for Carlisle to actually drug him and get him to rest. The deep bruise like shadows under his eyes and their bloodshot color told us all that he wasn't sleeping. He was deprived of sleep and not thinking rationally at all. It explained his outburst after I told him the story of Cigna and Murato. Combined with his dreams and nightmares he had every time he managed to fall asleep, I could see where the confusion came from. It only made me cry harder. I was rash and not careful. I should've observed him more carefully…should've seen that he wasn't ready for the tale of who we really were.

Suddenly Edward was moving and I saw him throw his jacket on and grab the backpack he brought with him every day. I sobbed loudly. He was leaving.

"Where are you going?" I whimpered, trying to cover my naked body up with my clothes he had discarded.

"You can't keep me here. I won't let you," Edward growled, "I won't let any of you."

With that Edward was gone out the door, and the loud bang that echoed throughout the room shook my entire body. A sound I didn't even know I was capable of making tore out of my throat and I screamed loudly into the now empty room. Over a century I had been searching for him, and now he was gone again, and I was all alone. I winced as I curled around myself, the area between my legs throbbing in pain. The tears poured down my cheeks as I began to sob. I just prayed she was listening.

"Alice…Alice, please…" I whispered.

Only a few seconds must've passed before I felt a cool breeze and then an even colder hand on my cheek. I cracked my eyes open to stare into the golden eyes of Alice Cullen. I knew vampires couldn't cry, but I was sure if she were human she would've been.

"Carlisle," she whispered under her breath so I barely heard her, "call Esme. Bella needs her. Jazzy, find me some scrubs. Hold your breath and leave them outside. Yes…there's blood."

I sniffled, and clutched at the clothes that barely covered my body. Alice's tiny hand smoothed the hair away from my face as she gave me a sad smile.

"Oh, Bella…I'm sorry I didn't see it," Alice said quietly.

I shook my head. "I should've known…it was too soon."

"Bella…" Alice said slowly, "I have to ask. Did Edward-"

"No!" I shouted quickly. "I thought he remembered, Alice! You said he would and I thought he did! I was so happy! I…I thought it was really him, that he really knew! I…I wanted it. I've missed him so much…I…To not have him in my arms for over a century…Alice, I wanted him so badly."

"Oh…shhhhh…it's okay, Bella," Alice cooed, "It's okay."

I watched as Alice's brow furrowed and her stare went blank. She was having a vision and I prayed it was about Edward. She shook her head, and her furrowed brow remained.

"I can't see it…" Alice muttered under her breath, "See if you can catch him. I can't see where he's going."

I hiccupped and sniffled. The visions were of Edward, but Alice couldn't get a lock on him. He hadn't made up his mind on where he was going.

"Alice…" I said quietly.

She gave me a small smile and tucked an imaginary piece of hair behind my ear.

"I'll see him when he decides, Bella. I promise. We'll find him and we'll figure this all out. We still have time. His birthday isn't for two weeks."

"What…what about the…the nomads?"

"Shhhh…" Alice said quietly, "Don't you worry about that right now."

There was a soft knock at the door, and before I could even blink, it had opened and closed, and there was a stunning woman standing there holding a pile of scrubs. Her skin was pale and the same as the rest of the Cullens. Her face was beautiful, and her caramel colored hair was fixed into an elegant twist on the top of her head. Her clothing was crisp and spotless, looking almost like some sort of Stepford Wife. She looked absolutely perfect. She was the iconic looking mother figure. I knew this had to be Carlisle's gorgeous wife Esme.

"Jasper and Emmett split up and are trying to track down Edward," Alice said to Esme as she walked at a human pace to where I was huddled up in the chair. She quickly produced a blanket I didn't even know she had and covered my body. Esme knelt down so she was crouching next to Alice.

"Hello, Bella dear," Esme said gently, and I instantly felt warmer, albeit marginally. Esme cupped my cheek softly. "I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but don't you worry. Everything will work out."

I think I smiled and sort of nodded. Despite the warmth that had come with Esme's presence, it was being overcome by the growing mass of numbness I felt in my body.

"Carlisle said-"

Esme's words were cut off by the shrill ringing of the fire alarm. She chuckled softly and shook her head before continuing. "Carlisle said he was going to create a diversion."

Alice's face was blank before she snapped back into motion. "Wrap her in the blanket and bring the scrubs. Your car is clear and we won't have any problem leaving. We'll have to move at _our_ pace though."

Alice gave Esme a smile and stood up, zipping towards the door. Esme smiled down at me and helped me to my feet. I winced, and my legs also felt like Jell-O. Esme steadied me and wrapped the blanket around me tightly. I felt safe and secure and sort of like a burrito. Esme smoothed her hands down my shoulders.

"Bella, do you mind if I carry you, dear?"

Her smile was so reassuring that I couldn't help but say yes. I still hadn't been exposed to everything that they could do as vampires. Sometimes Alice showed me little things here and there, but I had never really seen how strong they were, so I was shocked when Esme, the woman who was dressed so pristinely and looked so beautiful and proper, scooped me up like nothing, and before I could squeak a sound or blink, had us standing next to the door on the other side of the room.

"Ready?" Alice asked Esme. Esme adjusted her hold on me and nodded.

"Bella, you might want to close your eyes for this."

_**APOV**_

"How is she? Do I need to check on her?"

I shook my head as I discarded Bella's dirty scrubs from the hospital, and lay out a clean set of clothes for her to wear. Esme came into my room slowly and took the bag of dirty clothes from me, and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Alice. You know better than anyone else how humans can change their minds at the drop of a hat. You couldn't have known what was going to happen."

"I know," I nodded and sighed, "I just wish Bella wasn't hurt in all of this. She's already been through so much, Esme. Lived through so much loss, and pain, and heartache. I just want them both to be happy."

We both heard the car approaching up the drive. Esme sighed and plucked at an imaginary string on her shirt.

"That must be Carlisle. Do you think Bella needs…medical attention of any sort?"

I shook my head. "No. She'll be out of the shower in three minutes and twenty-three seconds. She is going to be hungry though."

Esme gave me a faint smile. "I have ingredients for spaghetti and meatballs. Will she like that?"

I gave her a small smile in return. "She won't eat a lot, but she'll be very grateful."

With that Esme left the room to prepare some food for Bella and also greet her mate. Jasper and Emmett were also going to arrive back in the next 10 minutes. Earlier I had seen that they were going to lose Edward's trail, having difficulty since his scent was concealed inside the car he was traveling in. I still hadn't seen what Edward was doing either. The only thing I could see was that he was driving, but I had no idea where he was going yet. I was more than a little worried that he had no destination in mind. A soft knock brought me out of my thoughts, and Carlisle entered the room silently.

"You're home earlier than I would've thought."

Carlisle nodded. "It appears during the fire alarm, three patients escaped. I'm out assisting police in finding them."

He gave me a small smirk and I couldn't help but give him one back.

"And these three patients…are they dangerous?"

"The most dangerous one is the one that thinks she can see the future. Clearly delusional, that one."

Both of us chuckled softly at that. It was obvious that Carlisle would have to think of a story for me, Jasper, and Bella's whereabouts. There was no way we were going back now. We had to focus on getting Edward back and also the nomads. I hadn't seen anything of the nomads in a while, not since James scared Bella in her mirror. We were all a little uneasy. Dead bodies were still turning up along the coast and in alleys in Port Angeles and even Seattle, so we knew they were still in the area. We just didn't know what they specifically wanted or when they were going to try and grab it. And Edward…well I just wished he would make up his damn mind already about where he was going so that we could get him.

"Do I need to check on her? Is she hurt badly?" Carlisle asked.

"She's okay. She'll be out in a minute…it's more mental than physical."

"And you're sure he didn't…" Carlisle trailed off.

"Bella was very adamant about that. She said she wanted him just as badly."

Carlisle sighed, "I should've watched him more carefully. We knew he wasn't sleeping, and I suspected he was taking caffeine pills from the hospital…I just never thought he'd react like this."

We both heard the shower turn off, and Carlisle gave me a small smile. "Make sure she takes some ibuprofen. It will help with the physical pain, and when she's ready, bring her downstairs."

"Will do," I said, cutting the last tags off Bella's new clothes.

They had been clothes I stashed away to give Esme for Christmas last year but forgot. They were about the same size, so I hoped they fit Bella. Dark blue jeans, grey shirt, and a black hoodie. I knew Bella would want to be comfortable more than anything else. Especially when explaining about what had happened earlier in Edward's office. I smiled when Bella stepped out of the bathroom, clutching the white towel that was wrapped around her body tightly.

"I have some clothes for you," I smiled, "They might be a little big, but I figured you would choose comfort over style."

Bella smiled timidly and nodded. "Thank you, Alice."

I stood up. "I'll be waiting for you outside the door. Esme is making some food for you."

Bella nodded again and I left her alone. I wasn't surprised to find my mate waiting in the hallway leaning against the wall. He was in front of me in an instant and pressed his forehead against mine as his hands went to rest on my waist.

"Is she all right?" Jasper whispered, "I feel…she's just in so much pain and anguish. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

I sighed and nodded my head slowly. "She's just getting changed."

"Darlin', this isn't your fault. Please don't feel guilty."

"I can't help it, Jazz. I just want so badly to help them both. Bella is still in my visions as one of us, and she and I are like sisters…best friends even. Edward…I still don't see him but I know we can save him! They've been through so much! I just…I just…"

"I know, Darlin'," Jasper murmured as a wave of calm hit me, "Don't put so much pressure on yourself. We'll figure this out."

Jasper placed a quick kiss on my forehead. "Bella's coming. I'll see you two downstairs."

"I thought I was the psychic," I teased, pushing away from Jasper.

"We can all use a little help, Darlin'." With that Jasper gave me a wink and was gone.

I sighed as I waited for Bella to come outside. I couldn't even begin to imagine what she was feeling after all of these years. Jasper had gotten a taste of it, but I knew he wouldn't share it with any of us. We had talked some about his memories from his human life. They had faded, but he had some very strong memories of Belle and Robert. The strongest being the day before they left for the war.

"_Before I met you, I had never seen a love like that before. The way they looked at each other, the way they touched, and smiled…it was so obvious they were two halves of a whole."_

"_I remember them vaguely when we were children too. Even then, you could tell there was something special between the two of them. And when we got older, I may have seen them kissing behind the barn once or twice."_

I smiled to myself as I remembered my conversations with Jasper. He was confident that everything was going to work out, and he confided in me that he couldn't wait to speak with Bella about their lives in the 1800s. It wasn't often that we were allowed a chance to learn about who we were as humans. I knew Carlisle was going to be interested as well, and I couldn't deny that I wasn't curious about her brother Garrett who had been working at the asylum when I was human. The door creaked open and Bella stepped out slowly, zipping up the hoodie as she went. She gave me the tiniest of smiles, as she finished up with the jacket.

"Are you hungry, Bella?"

"Oh…um…I…" She began to stutter.

"Esme made some spaghetti and meatballs for you."

"You have human food?" Bella asked, her brows furrowed.

I couldn't help but laugh, her perplexed face a welcome distraction.

"We have to keep up appearances, especially in a small town like this. People would think it odd if the good doctor's wife was never seen out shopping in the market and what not."

"But the food goes to waste."

I shook my head. "Esme makes food for Edward, and she also cooks extra and anonymously donates it to the homeless shelter."

I regretted mentioning Edward when I saw Bella's face crumple. I quickly changed the subject.

"So the clothes fit you better than I thought they would."

"Oh…" Bella said looking down, "Yeah…they're very comfortable. Thank you, Alice."

"All right," I said with a smile on my face, "Let's head downstairs and get you something to eat."

Though I was tempted to pick Bella up and carry her down there at vampire speed, I resisted the urge and walked at her slow pace. She must've still been hurting and I saw that Carlisle had left some ibuprofen and a glass of water with the steaming hot plate of pasta Esme had out on the dining room table. Emmett and Jasper were in the living room, giving Bella her space, while Carlisle and Esme were waiting in the dining room. Both stood when Bella and I finally entered.

"Bella," Carlisle said, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay…" Bella said quietly.

Carlisle recognized that she was not comfortable talking right now, so he offered her the ibuprofen and took his leave from the room. He was going to talk strategy with Jasper and Emmett. Esme had cooked up a feast for Bella, complete with Caesar salad, garlic bread, and a brownie. I raised a brow at Esme. She simply shrugged as she told Bella to let her know if she wanted anything else. I took a seat across from Bella and watched as she pecked at her food, taking a bite here and there after taking the ibuprofen.

After a few minutes of Bella eating and me staring, she paused and looked up at me. I smiled, knowing what she was going to ask.

"Why are you…staring at me like that?"

"What does it taste like?" I asked.

Bella's brows furrowed before she let out a quiet laugh. "Really?"

I shrugged. "I can't remember ever eating spaghetti and meatballs. Or Italian food of any kind. Or any human food for that matter."

Bella smiled and took another bite of her spaghetti.

"Well, this is absolutely delicious. A little sweet, tangy, savory from the herbs and garlic…the meatballs taste like they're homemade. Um…the Caesar dressing too, and the croutons…it's the best meal I've had in years."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm glad you like it, Bella. Esme will be so pleased."

"I am!" Esme called from the kitchen. Bella and I both giggled. After a few more minutes of eating, Bella spoke again.

"So how did Esme learn how to cook? I mean, she's been doing this for a while right? For the shelters and for…for…for Edward?"

I gave Bella a small smile, and disappeared to refill her water before she could even take another bite. Bella's face was shocked, but she recovered quickly. She was still getting used to our vampire abilities, and the speed one always threw her for a loop.

"Food Network," I said, a bigger smile on my face.

"The Food Network?" Bella asked, her brows raised.

"Yup," I said, resting my chin on my clasped hands, "Esme's favorite is Giada, hence all the Italian food. Personally, I like Rachel Ray. Carlisle enjoys Bobby Flay, Emmett likes Robert Irvine, Rosalie likes Ina Garten, and Jasper likes Paula Deen. Reminds him of Texas I think."

"Really?" Bella said, her eyes wide.

"Well, we have to keep up the human charade, so we have competitions once in a while. Sort of like Iron Chef, then we donate the food to a shelter."

Bella nodded and took another bite of food, eating more than I thought she would. She pushed the plate away and began nibbling on the brownie. I was pleased to see that she had an appetite despite everything that had happened today. Bella didn't eat much after that, and stated that she was tired. I showed her up to one of our guest rooms, and helped her get settled in. She fell asleep quickly, but I remained in her room.

It didn't take long for the nightmares to start. Bella screamed and screamed, sometimes for Murato, sometimes for another. What scared me is that she never woke from these nightmares, she would calm, but then suddenly she would be thrashing and screaming again. Jasper came to her room immediately and tried to calm her down. He grimaced as he sat there.

"She's in so much pain…" he nearly whimpered.

"Much more than she let on," I said quietly, as Jasper sent wave after wave of calm at her.

As Bella's body stilled and her breathing leveled out, I urged Jasper to take a break. Her emotions were taking a toll on him too, and his eyes were black from being in such close proximity to her. His control was damn near perfect recently, but he still felt the pull.

"You'll be okay, but I think you should feed, just in case."

Jasper leaned down and kissed my forehead softly. "Come with me? We can let Emmett watch her for a while?"

I recognized the look in Jasper's eyes, and I knew he wasn't just hungry for blood. It had been a long time since we were able to be together, considering there was so much else going on. I nodded and called for Emmett softly. He was at the door in an instant, and wiggled his eyebrows as Jasper and I passed. I knew Jasper wanted to hit him on the back of the head, but the noise would've startled Bella, and I quickly pulled him down the hallway before he could. Emmett's soft chuckles made Jasper scowl, but all was forgotten as I pulled him out the door and into the woods. While it was important to keep the family safe, and help Bella and Edward, I knew my own needs and those of my mate also had to be taken into consideration.

Jasper and I hunted and made love in the woods for hours, until the sun began to peak over the mountains in the east. We ran back to the house together, fully sated, and having found some peace for a moment.

The next morning found a stupefied Bella, sitting in the kitchen at the counter as Emmett, of all people, whipped around the kitchen and made her breakfast. I'm sure Esme was cringing somewhere about the mess Emmett was making, and Jasper and I watched, highly amused from the doorway, as Bella tried to tell Emmett that he had made more than enough food.

"Emmett, I…I can't possibly eat everything."

"Breakfast is my specialty, Bella. I can make anything."

"I…I'm sure you can," Bella stuttered out, as Emmett flung another pancake with perfect accuracy on top of an already heaping pile, "But what are we going to do with all the extra food?"

"What we always do," Emmett shrugged, as he finally turned off the burners at the oven. "Take it over to the shelter."

There were piles of scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, country fried potatoes, toast, and pancakes all over the counter. Bella seemed in shock as she took in the piles of food in front of her. I giggled and danced into the kitchen, sitting on a stool opposite of Bella.

"Planning on feeding the whole town, Em?" Jasper laughed, coming to stand behind me.

Emmett shrugged as he began to zip around and clean up the mess he made. "I haven't cooked in a while. Figured I'd give it a shot. Plus, with everything going on, we haven't made a donation to the shelter in a while."

Jasper and I both nodded, and soon we were all joined by Carlisle and Esme. Bella was munching away on some eggs in front of her, and smiled slightly at Carlisle and Esme.

"How did you sleep last night, Bella?" Esme asked.

Bella's cheeks turned red. "I'm sure you…you heard…"

Carlisle gave her an understanding smile, "We heard a little. Jasper here calmed you down enough so you slept soundly the rest of the night."

Bella's cheeks were still red, but she nodded.

"Thank you, Jasper," she whispered.

"Anytime, Bella," Jasper responded.

Bella began picking at her food and I could see that those gloomy feelings were beginning to creep back up on her. She felt guilty for screaming in her nightmares and for Jasper having to calm her down. Amazingly, it was Emmett who decided to change the subject.

"So what's your favorite food, Bella? I'm sure someone will be able to make it, though Esme will probably kick them out of the kitchen and attempt it herself."

"I would not!" Esme huffed, crossing her arms in front of her. It was funny to think that her body was forever frozen at the age of 26. Sometimes, though very rarely, she did act her age. Carlisle wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.

Bella's cheeks flushed slightly, as she chuckled, and I had to wonder why that happened so often. Maybe she had some kind of heat sensitivity problem? I should ask Carlisle later.

"Um…" Bella bit her lip, "I really like Tex Mex. My mother used to make a really good chili and cornbread."

I smiled widely, "I think Esme can handle-"

The room in front of me disappeared in an instant. Instead I was seeing the parking lot of the Seaside Motel in Port Angeles, and the three nomads standing next to Edward's car. It was raining and no one else was around. I gasped, as the vision shifted and I saw the three of them in a room now, the two males holding Edward down on a bed, while Victoria sliced his forearm with a knife, causing Edward to scream out in pain, before she licked the wound closed, and did it again. An agonizing cry left my mouth as I saw them rip Edward's body apart, blood flying around the room, and covering them all. Each of them laughing in glee and licking the blood from their bodies. The vision ended, and I screamed.

"Port Angeles! He's in Port Angeles! The Seaside Motel! The nomads are coming for him! GO!"

With that, Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle disappeared from the room and took off for Port Angeles. I just hoped they would make it in time. There were no other visions coming to me, and I was taking huge, gulping breaths, though they were completely unnecessary. The sight of Edward's body…I shook my head to try and dispel the vision from my mind. There was no way I could tell Bella and Esme exactly what I saw. When I opened my eyes, Esme was holding a sobbing Bella, and cooing softly in her ear as she rubbed her back. Leaving the mess in the kitchen, Esme and I headed out into the living room, Esme holding Bella close to her chest as we moved and settled on the couch.

"They'll get there, Bella. It will be okay…" Esme cooed. She glanced at me and I knew she was asking if I had seen anything. I sadly shook my head. I saw the men running through the woods, Emmett running faster than I had ever seen him, and they would be there in 6 minutes.

"Alice…" Bella sniffled, "Is he safe?"

I bit my lip for a second, unsure of how to answer her. Her big brown eyes were so sad, and they were rimmed with red from her tears. I just wanted to be able to reassure her that Edward was fine, and that we were going to save both of them and break the curse. I just couldn't say it.

"Bella…" I started, but Esme and I instantly whirled around to face the front door, and Esme pushed Bella behind her, both of us dropping down in protective crouches.

"Well, well, well," James said smugly, as he and Laurent sauntered into the room. "I expected at least one of the men here. This is an even better surprise."

"James…"Bella whispered, her voice shaking.

James' blood red eyes immediately shot to Bella. "You know, Cigna…or Marie…or Bella, whatever you name is now, I never would've thought it would be you that remembered everything. I had meant for that torture to fall on Murato, not you."

James waved his hand dismissively, "Never mind that now. We'll have plenty of time to catch up."

"You tricked us," I growled.

Laurent clapped his hands slowly. "Very good, little psychic! I see you _are_ all powerful."

His sarcasm only made me growl more.

"How'd she do it?"

"She's a shield, my dear Alice. I'm surprised Carlisle didn't figure it out sooner. She can block out all abilities and shield those who she chooses as well. You'll never find Edward."

"We'll find him. You can bet your ass we will."

"Ooh…James she is feisty. I can see how you would've wanted her when she was a human."

"Where's Edward?" Esme growled.

"Oh don't you worry about him, Esme Cullen," James smirked, "Victoria will take good care of him, but there's one more thing we need to pick up for our little party."

Laurent inhaled deeply. "Yes…a little Bella blood on the side."

I heard Bella move back, and knew she was now cowering in the corner. It was better that she was out of the way for this. James and Laurent were on us in a flash. Jasper had trained us in some hand to hand combat, in the event we ever ran across a hostile nomad, but James and Laurent were much better fighters than Esme and I. I tried to use my sight to see what moves James was going to make, but it appeared he was under Victoria's protection and I couldn't see him. I tried to block his attacks as best I could, my arms blocking as many blows as I could.

I heard Esme cry out in pain, and in my brief distraction, James used it to his advantage and hit me solidly in the stomach. I went flying back and hit the wall hard, landing amidst a pile of splintered wood. I saw Laurent on top of Esme, twisting her leg at an odd angle as she did everything she could to break free. Seeing James stalking towards Bella though, I knew I had to hang on to the hope that Esme could defend herself for the time being. I raced and launched myself at James, landing on his back and wrapping my arms around his throat. Bella screamed and curled herself up into a ball further, as I wrestled with James. He backed me into the stone fireplace, but I still held on. He howled in pain when my teeth found purchase on his ear and ripped a chunk of it away.

In a move that I was sure was spurred on by her gift of unconditional love, or her Momma Bear sense as Emmett liked to call it, Esme grabbed Laurent as he moved towards Bella, and threw him through the glass wall that encompassed the south side of our house. Esme hobbled to Bella as quick as she could and handed Bella her cell phone. I continued to bite at James as he tried to throw me off his back.

"Call Carlisle, tell them to come back," Esme said, pressing the phone into Bella's hands. Bella's trembling hands quickly began to dial, but Esme was soon tackled away from her as Laurent came flying back through the window.

I shouted in pain as James' teeth sunk into my forearm and he flipped me off of him, slamming me into a wall. I could hear Bella frantically telling Carlisle to come back, and him replying that they were on their way. I knew they had found Edward's car, but the door was wide open and there was no trace of him. I didn't have time to dwell on my vision for long as James' picked me up and threw me against the floor, repeatedly smashing my body against the marble tile. I tried to fight off his hands, but James was too strong for me, and I could feel my body beginning to crack from all of the hits. Hearing Esme scream out in pain, I lashed my hand out at James' face, letting my fingers rake down the whole side of his face. He screamed in pain and dropped me. I felt weak as I hit the floor and before I had a chance to move I was on my knees and James' had my arms pinned behind my back. I screamed as I felt my arms slowly begin to tear away from my body.

"This is for all the years you tortured me," James hissed in my ear, "All the years I was haunted by the sweet smell of your blood that I'll never get to have. Now I'll discard of you in the same way I did the old one and the foolish human."

I screamed out the same time Esme did. Laurent had dislocated her knee and had thrown her body hard against the stairs. If we weren't practically unbreakable, I would been scared she was dead, seeing the way her body tumbled down the stairs and landed in a heap at the bottom. Laurent laughed in glee and kicked her hard in the stomach. I screamed again as James pulled tighter on my arms.

"That's it…scream, Mary Alice. Scream."

"STOP!"

All four of us froze, as the scent of the sweetest smelling blood wafted through the air. Esme was whimpering on the ground as Laurent held her down with his foot, and my arms felt like they were mere inches from being torn from my body.

"Bella, what are you doing?" I rasped.

"Just stop, please," Bella begged, not meeting my eyes. She had used a piece of the fireplace to cut her palm. "You can have me, just…don't hurt them."

"Bella, no!" Esme shouted, but was silenced by a quick kick from Laurent.

"Stop! Please!" Bella cried out, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I'll go with you, just please don't hurt them anymore!"

"Bella, don't be stupid!" I called out. James pulled my arms again and I screamed in pain.

"Stop!" Bella said moving closer.

"What do you think, Laurent?" James said, "Kill them now and take her anyway, or leave them here in pieces for their mates to find, and take her now?"

I saw Laurent looking at a cell phone. "She has him. Let's just go now. They'll never find us."

With that things were a blur, as I went flying through the air and hit a wall, before landing in a heap next to Esme. My arms were barely hanging on, and I couldn't move them. It was going to take time for the venom to work and heal me. Esme had deep cuts all over her body and her leg was still twisted at an odd angle.

James and Laurent stood, victorious smiles on their faces, as they made ready to leave through the hole in the southern wall. Bella was draped over Laurent's shoulders, tears pouring down her cheeks as she hung there. I tried to get up, as did Esme, but the two nomads just cackled with laughter.

"It was a good try, Cullens," Laurent sneered.

"I'm ashamed to even call you vampires…the way you care for human life," James spat. "Why put up all the effort for two measly humans?"

"You're not going to get away with this," I growled, before falling to the floor. Standing without the uses of my arms was proving to be difficult.

James threw his head back and laughed. "I was always hoping to extract revenge on you one day, Mary Alice. Perhaps taking away the two humans you all love so dearly will be pain enough. You'll have to live with the visions of us torturing them both to death and bathing in their blood for all eternity."

"No!" I shouted, determined to keep fighting.

"Well," James said, before giving a dramatic wave, and a deep bow, "I bid you adieu, lady Cullens. Nice try."

James and Laurent disappeared at vampire speed, but on the wind, I still heard her words carried back to us.

"_I had to, Alice. I'm sorry."_

**Well? Yes? No? Holy crap right? Well, if it wasn't obvious, I am setting up for the big finale. Hold on to your butts. :-P **

**So, I'm participating in Fandom 4 Tsunami. I'm sure you all have heard about the devastation in Japan, and the people there need all the support they can get. Fandom 4 Tsunami is raising money for the Red Cross, and there's over 200 FF authors contributing one-shots, outtakes, and poems. If you donate $10, you can receive this compilation of work. Just donate at the Red Cross, then forward your receipt to "fandom4tsunami(at)gmail(dot)com". You'll receive the compilation in June I believe. I'm contributing an exclusive future-take from my story "Whatever It Takes". Please check it out and help if you can! There's already been almost $3000 raised!**

**All right, so…next chapter we'll see just what the hell is going on with Edward. Hope you all still trust me and are with me. :-)**


	12. Ch 11: Burn

**Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters…**

**A/N: Thank you for reading & reviewing! Apologies…I've been distracted with my thesis amongst other things. Even more thanks to those of you who are still with me and trust me. :-) Honestly, the prologue told you the nomads were going to get Edward and Bella…that shouldn't have been a surprise…I'm just saying.**

**My beta, eternally_addicted, is the best! She helps me keep this craziness all straight and organized. Thank her because she cracked the whip to make me get this chapter done. TONS of information this chapter, so I hope you get it all.**

_**Still every night I burn**_

_**Every night I scream your name**_

_**Every night I burn **_

_**Every night the dream's the same**_

_**Every night I burn**_

_**Waiting for my only friend**_

_**Every night I burn**_

_**Waiting for the world to end**_

_**-The Cure, "Burn"**_

Chapter 11: Burn

_**EPOV**_

A loud beep of a car horn snapped me back to the present as I raced towards Port Angeles through the pouring rain. I squeezed my eyes shut and blinked away the images that were bombarding my mind.

"No…no, no, no!" I roared, slamming my palm against the steering wheel.

This wasn't who I was. I was…_am_ Edward Anthony Masen, a doctor born and raised in Chicago. Son of Elizabeth and Edward Masen, Sr, my birthday was June 20th and I was going to turn 26 in a couple of weeks. I blinked and shook my head again, chasing away the images of past lives that couldn't possibly be mine. It simply wasn't true…there was no way. _She_ had to be lying. My heart clenched in my chest so painfully that I thought I was having a heart attack.

_Bella…Cigna…Belle…Marie…Isabel…_

"NO! Snap out of it, Masen!"

It seemed that my heart wasn't willing to let go. All I was seeing in my mind were moments with different, yet the same woman. As a child playing in the stream with Isabel…seeing Marie in her beautiful white dress walking towards me…making love to Belle for the first time…Cigna telling me she was with child…Bella….

I screamed and pulled over on the side of the road. Pounding both of my fists on the wheel, I growled in frustration. The things I was seeing…they weren't real, they couldn't be. I clenched my eyes shut as I lay my head back against the seat. They were all in on it…they had to be. That was the only way to explain why Bella would tell me stories that involved Carlisle and Jasper. Paranoia was coursing through me the more and more I thought about all the "coincidences". The only answer was that I was being drugged and hallucinating.

_But how do you explain the dreams? They started years ago_

My mind was racing as I thought back to when the dreams started. How old was I? Twelve? Fourteen? I was already well known in the educational world…it must've been when I was fourteen and already studying pre-med. Has Carlisle been after me since then? Was I some sort of experiment he wanted? The freakishly smart kid already on his way to med school by the time he was seventeen. Sweat broke out on my forehead the more and more I thought about the possibilities. I had been sought out by many hospitals and universities over the years, all wanting me on their staff to gain the notoriety of having _the_ Dr. Edward Masen on their staff, the twenty-five year old wonder kid from Chicago.

What if that was what Carlisle had planned all along? He had been drugging me since I was fourteen and making me dream all of these impossible things. He probably even had Bella following me like she said…always in the same cities at the same time I was. My chest throbbed violently when I thought of Bella. I was repulsed by what I had done. I had completely blacked out, not at all present. My throat constricted at the memory of her tears and the blood…the blood…

I pressed the heels of my palms to my eyes and screamed into the quiet of the car yet again. Whatever Carlisle had been drugging me with, it made me black out while I was conscious and lose control of my actions. They had made me a…a…I choked out a sob when I thought of it. I was no better than a rapist…I _am_ a rapist. I stole Bella's virginity from her, all the while losing my own. I hurt her...and I couldn't even remember doing it. The tears streaming down her face…they made me ill. I quickly opened the car door and spilled the contents of my stomach to the ground. I had become the type of man that I had always refused to help. Rapists and sexual offenders had disgusted me and I never took them on as clients…now, I was no better than any of them.

Wiping my mouth, I closed the door and sat back in my seat. Behind my closed eyes I could see Bella's naked body curled up in a ball in the chair in my office, tears pouring down her face and looking terrified. My eyes popped open, a thought springing to mind. What if that was their fucked up plan from the beginning? Turn me into some brutal rapist and ruin my professional career. Bella had certainly been trying to convince me that I was this so called "Murato". This had to be it…drugging me, making me hallucinate, making me black out and commit a heinous crime…it was all to ruin me…to ruin the star of the psychological world and turn him into nothing more than another patient in the psych ward.

I rubbed my eyes and quickly threw the car into drive. I had to get out of here. No doubt Carlisle and the others had discovered what I had done to Bella and would be coming after me. If I could get away…on a ferry or flight out of Port Angeles, I could ride out the rest of the symptoms of the drugs in my system. I could go back to Chicago or some other big city and disappear. The rain was coming down in buckets as I approached Port Angeles. I just prayed I had enough of a head start.

"What do you mean there aren't any flights?" I demanded.

"Did you look outside, sir?" The snotty girl behind the counter said. "All the planes are grounded due to the weather."

"Well, what about the ferries? Is there a ferry leaving for Vancouver or Seattle? Anywhere?"

The girl narrowed her eyes at me. "Sir…I know it rains all the time here in Washington, but take a look! The wind is blowing, the rain is pouring down…no ferry can make a trip in this weather either. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow and come back then."

"Depending on the weather," She added, glaring at me.

I stormed out of the airport and back to my car. Apparently all transportation out of Port Angeles was delayed until further notice. I could try to drive to Portland…but my body felt exhausted and I realized there was very little chance I would make it. There was a higher probability of me falling asleep at the wheel at this point. I decided I would rest for a few hours (despite the dreams), and then get back on the road. Driving out of Port Angeles, I saw signs that pointed to a motel that seemed out of the way.

Pulling into the Seaside Motel, I shivered, the red glow of the "vacancy" sign making me uncomfortable for some reason. Grabbing my wallet, I pulled my jacket hood over my head, preparing to make a dash for the front desk. Kicking my door open, I climbed out as quick as I could.

"Hello, Edward."

Startled, I turned around, bracing myself in the corner where the car door met the body of the car. Standing there completely soaked in nothing but a tiny brown leather vest and black pants and boots was a woman. Her skin was so pale that it made the dark brown looking color of her wet hair stand out even more. She was beautiful in a frighteningly perfect way…almost too perfect…just like the Cullens, Alice, Jasper, and even Emmett. I couldn't help but gasp when I looked at her face. Looking into her eyes, it was no normal human gaze that looked back at me. There was nothing but hunger in these eyes…but that wasn't the most startling thing about them. This woman's eyes were blood red and made her look like a predator.

"Wh-wh-who are you?" I stuttered out.

A cruel seeming smile spread across her lips, and fear trickled up my spine.

"Oh, Edward…you and I have so much to talk about."

My world went black before I could even make a sound.

* * *

I gasped loudly as freezing water poured over me. I was completely disoriented and confused, finding myself strapped to some kind of table in the middle of a large room. Looking around, I saw that there were mirrors all along the walls, some broken and splintered, others stretching from the floor to the ceiling. Was I in a ballet studio? I slowly rolled my head from side to side, still trying to shake the groggy feeling from my brain. I tried to move my arms and legs but found that they were bound to the table. My shirt was also gone, though thankfully my pants and shoes were still on my body.

"Oh good…I'm so glad you're awake."

My body flinched at the sound of the sickly sweet yet menacing voice. I sucked in a sharp breath, recognizing the pale woman's face. Her dried hair was a shocking red that almost matched her eyes and she now had on a long dark green coat. The cold air in the room seemed to close in around me and I started to shiver.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?"

She laughed. "It's always the same inane questions."

My brows furrowed. "I don't understand. What do you want with me? Why are you doing this?"

All of my attention seemed to snap into focus. "You're in on it with them aren't you? You're working with Carlisle!"

"Oh please!" She cackled. "That pathetic excuse of a…"

She stopped midsentence and smiled. "Well…I guess there's a lot you need to hear, and there's some stuff you need to know before James and Laurent get back. I can guarantee you'll like what they're bringing by the time I'm done with you."

My breathing picked up when she reached inside her coat and drew a long hunting knife.

"Please…what do you want? Money? Name it and I'll pay it!"

"Oh yes…Beg, Edward…just like last time."

"Last…what are you talking about? Who are you?" I shouted, struggling against my restraints.

"The name's Victoria…" She purred, crouching over me and lightly running the tip of the knife across the bare skin of my chest.

"And I…" she placed a kiss on my chest making my stomach churn.

"Am…" Another kiss and nip of her lips. I cringed as her tongue ran up my neck.

"A…" A tug on my earlobe.

"Vampire."

I screamed as sharp pain radiated from my neck. My arms struggled as I tried to thrash about and scream. Victoria wouldn't budge, and I was stricken with a horrible realization: She was biting me…she said she was a vampire. Icy, liquid fire began to spread through my body and it felt like my blood had been replaced by acid. My body felt weak, yet I still felt the pain as it began to flow through my body. The sounds…I had never heard such painful cries in all of my life.

"I've missed your screams, Edward."

My frantic eyes stared in horror as I watched Victoria wipe blood from her lips. It dripped down her chin in thick rivers and I screamed in pain, my voice going hoarse. Victoria lifted her hand to look at the gold watch that lay on her wrist. I couldn't even scream anymore, the pain becoming too much. Nothing but ragged cries and whimpers left my breath.

"I think that's enough."

I screamed again as Victoria's lips returned to my neck. The pain flared but suddenly began to recede, but burned just as much as it seemed to leave my veins. My eyelids were heavy, but I saw the red of Victoria's hair as she pulled back from my neck, and I saw the ruby colored streams falling down her chin and lips.

"Rest now, Edward. You're going to need your strength."

* * *

"Are you sure she didn't take too much? He's looking a little pale."

"He was always pale."

"Yes, but-"

"Are you questioning her control, Laurent? You know she is more flawless than even I am."

I heard two voices bickering back and forth. The French accented male voice was unfamiliar to me, but I recognized the other…and a chill ran through my body as I gasped.

"Oh look, Laurent…he's awake. Go find Victoria."

A hand started slapping my cheek lightly. "Wakey, wakey, Edward."

My eyes snapped open and I was staring into the face of the man who placed me in this hell.

"Caccio…" I spat.

He threw his head back and laughed. "I haven't heard you call me that in years, Murato. Clearly Victoria did her job right. You nearly died but she saved you just in time…obviously you remember…_everything._"

"What happened to you?" I nearly growled, struggling against my restraints again. "How are you even here?"

Caccio's red eyes narrowed. I remembered everything Victoria had told me...she was a vampire, and judging by the eyes and color of his skin, Caccio was one now too.

"My little curse backfired on me. In my dying breaths, my mind wasn't as clear as it should have been…"

Caccio's hand lashed out and his nails scrapped down my chest. I cried out, feeling my flesh tear. Caccio's eyes turned black and reminded me of the eyes of a shark. He inhaled deeply.

"Thanks for killing me in one of the most painful ways possible. Mmmm…I will enjoy this," Caccio smiled. "As I was saying, my words weren't specific enough for the magic. I said, '_anyone who ever loved you'. _I didn't remember that I'd get included in that lot as well."

My eyes widened.

"You'll never have her!" I shouted, straining against my restraints. Caccio was suddenly in my face and holding me back down against the table.

"Who's to say I haven't already, huh?" Caccio whispered.

"Fuck you!" I growled. I had definitely picked up new lingo from my life as Edward, and more spirit and fight than ever.

Caccio shoved me back against the table, my head hitting the cool metal. "When I was born again, I didn't remember my life as Caccio. It wasn't until I was born as James, did things come together."

I frowned as Caccio's grin seemed to grow wider and more sinister.

"You remember your life as Anthony don't you? The spoiled little rich brat who never deserved the fair Marie or her love," Caccio spat, his smile gone.

"She's mine…she's always been mine."

"Wrong!" Caccio roared. "Cigna should've been mine! She was meant to be mine! You know she was meant to be an oracle. Her family hid her, refusing to let her go. Her destiny was to be with the priests in the palace, by my side. You stole her from me!"

"She loves me!"

Caccio cackled with laughter. "Does she really? Are you so sure, Murato? After what Edward did to her? Brutally raping her in his office…"

"NO!" I roared.

"Oh yes…how will she ever forgive you? How can she love such a…monster?"

"STOP!"

"Mmmm…Maybe it worked out better that Cigna was the one who was cursed to remember everything. She never gives up, always hoping to find you, always hoping to save you and break the curse. If it was you I'm sure you would've just given up."

Caccio raked a nail down my chest slowly, making me scream in pain.

"Took me a long time to build up my tolerance to blood…but becoming a vampire has been the greatest gift I could've ever asked for."

I watched, horrified as Caccio leaned down and licked one of the bleeding scratches on my body. Shockingly enough, the wound had closed over and was no longer bleeding. It looked like it was healed, though a faint pink line remained.

"Our venom heals wounds on human flesh," Caccio grinned. "We're going to have so much fun, Murato."

"Now…where was I? Becoming a vampire was it? I supposed you could call me James since Laurent and Victoria do. That is the body that I'm in…that of the poor, lovesick servant James. I learned all about your little affair with the servant girl Marie. How you carried on in secret, how you broke her heart when you were betrothed to someone else, how you married with Carlisle's help…Oh yes…I knew all about it."

Caccio, or James, began to pace as he told his story. How he overheard Angela and Marie talking one day and Angela helping prepare Marie to flee from London with Anthony. I remembered everything that he spoke of…how Marie and well…myself fled in the middle of the night through the forest behind my home and met with Carlisle who drove us to the docks. I hadn't known James had been following us until it was too late.

"You were going to take her away from me. You and that other spoiled, rich, religious brat Carlisle Cullen. I couldn't let it happen. It was _your_ fault Marie was killed!"

"I wasn't the one who stabbed her!" I snapped.

Caccio's nails sliced down my chest again.

"You were trying to steal her from me yet again, Murato! If you hadn't been trying to take her away from me, she wouldn't have gotten in the way and I would've killed you instead!"

Caccio chuckled darkly. "I never thought you, the spoiled brat, would've ever had the guts to shoot _me_ though. Although, I have to say it was the best thing you could've ever done for me. All my memories came back to me as I lay there dying near the docks. I remembered the curse and I remember screaming in agony and frustration because I realized I had inadvertently cursed myself when I had cast it originally. I did have the pleasure of seeing the police gun you down though, and watched the horror on Carlisle Cullen's face when they shot you."

"I thought it was the end," Caccio said, walking around the table slowly. "Everything was going dark. That was when I felt the burning. I thought it was from the gunshot but it was radiating from my neck. A hand was clamped over my mouth and it felt like I was flying through the air, all the while the burning spreading through my body. I woke up days later to this new life…and I remembered everything."

"Victoria was just as blood thirsty as I was, and when I remembered the curse and told her about it, she was the one who suggested we spend our lives feeding, fucking, and then hunting down you and Cigna."

Caccio smiled and his face took on a wistful look. "It's been so…amazing. You see, I'm a skilled hunter, Murato, a tracker of sorts. I can find anyone once I know their scent. And yours and Cigna's…well, they've never changed over the years."

"To my pleasure, I discovered that each time you two came back, so did your families. Your parents, Cigna's brother…oh it was such fun, planning the best ways we could torture the two of you and hurt you. The only time we ever found the two of you together was during the Civil War. Much to my dismay, the war took care of your fathers and Belle's brother. Victoria and I decided to make it quick. I can't imagine there's a worse way to die than burning alive."

My eyes widened. "You…you set the fire?"

"Not one of our more creative ventures. It was before Laurent found us. Victoria was quite mad at me for taking that easy way out. Now Laurent, he is good. He's orchestrated subway crashes, freak accidents, kidnapping, torturing…ah, he's quite a master."

"It was a little disappointing that the two of you never found each other again until this lifetime. That didn't stop us from having our fun though, and this lifetime…oh it's more than I could ever ask for. So many more…possibilities."

"Possibilities?" I asked, confused and slightly scared.

"Mmmm…the Cullens."

"What about them?"

"Oh it was so great, watching Edward fall apart from the memories. Seeing you as they slowly drove you crazy…it was too good! I almost couldn't believe it myself, seeing Carlisle Cullen and Jasper Whitlock as vampires…but that wasn't all."

James grinned. "You see, as vampires we have…singers. They're people whose blood smells sweeter than any others. They have the most delicious smelling blood, and each scent is…unique to a vampire, depending on the singer. They're like each of our own personalized brand of narcotics. I found my singer in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1919."

My mind began to race, remembering what I had been told as Edward. I was getting more and more confused. Why were the Cullens, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett at the hospital I was working at as Edward? Did Carlisle and Jasper really know who I was? Had they recognized Anthony and Robert? And now Caccio was talking about Alice…I didn't know what to make of it.

"I found my singer, hidden away in this tiny, dark little cell in an insane asylum. You see, asylums are the best places to go feed. You can feed, and the screams of your victims are masked by all the other crazies, and the next day when they're raving about vampires and blood, no one believes them."

"Mary Alice Brandon was her name…Oh, and she was so…tempting," Caccio said, licking his lips. "We were already in Biloxi. Conveniently enough, Cigna's brother worked as a doctor at the asylum. Not so convenient was the fact that an old vampire worked at the asylum as a guard, and he had already taken a liking to Alice. He knew we were snooping around, and he knew I was after Alice. Her blood…I can barely put the call into words. For so long I thought Cigna was my singer, and I relished in draining her of her blood each time we found her, but Mary Alice's blood…the call is indescribable. The old one…he killed Cigna's brother and stole Mary Alice away."

Caccio returned to my side and licked another cut on my chest closed. "Mmmm…your blood is quite good, but not the same."

He paused and wiped his lips. "I was furious at the old one. We ripped him to pieces. Victoria encouraged me to take out the rest of Cigna's family, and then we could set out on finding you. The thought alone made me feel better, but I was still furious my singer was taken from me."

I couldn't believe it. What fate had brought us all together here? We were all sitting ducks for Caccio, Victoria, and Laurent. Caccio hated Carlisle for trying to help Anthony take Marie away from him. He was angry Alice's blood would never be his, and now…Cigna and I were both together.

"Did you know Alice was telling the truth about her abilities to see the future? That was why she was in the asylum as a human in the first place. It's so fun to toy with. Victoria, she's a powerful shield…she can protect anyone she wants from the abilities from other vampires. Knowing about Alice's abilities, we decided things, but then Victoria would shield us before we changed our mind. Alice would see our original visions…terrible things mind you. And vampires…well, we never forget. She will _always_ see the ways we had intended to kill you and Cigna, and she will _always_ remember the ways that we do eventually kill you. Perfect revenge since I can't have her blood."

"This is what it's all about," I asked, "Revenge? It's your fault we're all even cursed!"

I screamed out as Caccio slashed at my chest again and again.

"JAMES!"

The pain was unbearable and my eyes were watery. Through my tears I could see a flash of red hair…but Victoria wasn't alone.

"Edward!"

A smile tugged at my lips, but the pain was too much.

"Cigna…" I whimpered.

I heard her loud gasp and Caccio laughed.

"That's right, Cigna…he remembers everything."

I saw Victoria let Cigna go and she ran towards the table. Caccio caught her in his arms, but her tiny body was no match for his.

"Murato! Murato!" Cigna screamed. Caccio laughed as he held her.

"I don't know why you're laughing," Victoria hissed as she leaned over me. "He's losing too much blood you moron."

I heard Cigna's whimpers as Victoria leaned over my body and began to lick the wounds closed. My vision was starting to darken around the edges and I tried to focus on Cigna's face. Even with her tears, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, a light in the darkness.

"Cigna…" I whimpered. "Cigna…"

"I'm here…" was the last thing I heard before the world went dark again.

* * *

"Cigna…" I moaned. "Cigna…"

"I'm here," I heard from my left. My eyes felt like they were glued shut and my eyelashes stuck together as I tried to pry them open. When I tried to lift my head, a tiny hand and familiar spark radiating from my shoulder stopped me.

"Just rest, please…" She pleaded. I didn't try to move again, but I slowly opened my eyes.

The lighting was dim, but I would recognize her form anywhere. The brown eyes I had loved for all time were looking back at me. My heart ached when I looked at the apprehension and fear that seemed to fill most of her chocolate gaze.

"Where are we?" I mumbled.

Cigna shrugged. "Some kind of bedroom that's in the back of the ballet studio. I'm not really sure where the studio is though."

We were silent for a few moments as I tried to remember everything that had happened. I had no idea where the studio could be either. Victoria grabbed me in Port Angeles and Bella had been in Forks. We could be anywhere. I met Bella's eyes and she finally spoke.

"Do you really remember?" She whispered from her spot, sitting on the edge of the bed I found myself on.

"I do…" my voice cracked, "Oh Cigna…Bella…I'm so sorry."

My eyes began to prickle as I thought of the horrible things I had done to her as Edward. Cigna instantly shushed me and cupped my cheek, running her fingers across my skin.

"Shhhh…Please don't, Murato," She said as she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. "I wanted you too. I gave you my consent."

"But you told me to stop."

Cigna sighed and smoothed hair away from my forehead. "I know…it did hurt, like it always does the first time. I just wanted you there in the moment with me…it didn't mean that I didn't want you to make love to me."

I cringed. "How can you call it that? I was savage, uncontrollable…that wasn't making love."

"We were overcome by our want for each other," Cigna said softly. "It has been almost two hundred years."

The small, teasing smile on her face lightened the heavy weight on my heart.

"I've missed you so much, love," I murmured.

"I'm here."

My brows furrowed. "Speaking of which, how did you get here?"

Cigna sighed and tucked a lock of her long hair behind her ear. Her voice was so soft and tinged with sadness as she spoke.

"Alice had a vision. It…it must have been horrible. I've never seen her look so scared. Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett raced to Port Angeles to find you. I was a mess, thinking the worst had happened to you. Esme was doing everything to soothe me as Alice tried to get a handle on her visions. That was when they came. They fought, tried to defend me…but Caccio and Laurent were too strong."

Tears began to fall over Cigna's cheeks. After everything I had put her through as Edward, I knew she had come to lean on Alice and Jasper quite a bit. I assumed that meant she was leaning on the Cullens as well and has become very dear to them.

"They were going to kill them…" Bella whimpered. "Caccio almost tore Alice's arms off, and Esme's spine was being crushed by Laurent. I…I sacrificed myself. Told Caccio I would go with them if they just stopped hurting them. So…that's how I got here. Caccio accepted and whisked me away and brought me here."

"How long has it been?"

"We've been here almost two days."

"Oh, my love…why did you give in to Caccio?" I moaned. "You shouldn't have come."

"They were going to kill Alice and Esme!" Cigna cried. "I couldn't let that happen!"

"So you risked yourself!" I shouted with as much strength as I could. "You're human! They're not! They'll heal! You won't!"

I sat up slowly and pulled Cigna towards me. She came willingly, seeing as how I didn't have much strength in me.

"Why would you risk yourself like that?" I whispered. The thought of her being hurt or tortured like I had been was too much to bear.

"Because I needed to be with you."

"Cigna-"

"I know they are going to kill us…torture us and inflict the most unimaginable pain…but I needed to be with you. Even if we're both screaming in pain…it's still moments I get to spend with you."

"When we die," I choked out. "It will start all over again won't it? I won't remember anything…but you'll remember it all?"

Cigna nodded sadly.

"I'll lose you again," I cried, the tears starting to fall again. "All this pain and agony…and then you'll be gone and alone."

I held her tighter to my chest as I began to cry harder. I had just found my love again, and soon she would be ripped away from me, and I would forget her again. The torture she must have been going through all of these years…I only wished I could stop it, take it away…but I couldn't. There was no way to cheat a mortal death.

"Then I'll find you again," Cigna whispered, her hands running up and down my back. "I'll always find you."

"I love you so much," I whispered, "So, so much…always remember that I do, especially when I won't. I'll love you forever…my heart and soul are yours, only yours."

"Oh, Murato," Cigna whimpered. "You're my heart, my life…you're why I go on living each time. I'll find you again, and I'll find the Cullens again. They'll help us break the curse."

I was about to ask how when a voice interrupted our moment.

"Awwwww…you two are the cutest things."

Victoria was standing in the doorway holding two bags of food. My stomach grumbled at the smell. She walked further into the room and set the bags on a small stool that sat there before going to lean against the wall.

"James is always so hell bent on always breaking the two of you up. Probably because he has no idea what it's like to really love someone and find your true mate."

"And you would?" Cigna spat.

I pulled her close to me as Victoria growled. I had always loved and admired Cigna's spirit and fire…but right now really wasn't a moment to let those sides of her show. Not when the…being in front of us had to power to end our lives with a stroke of her arm.

"More than you could imagine," Victoria spat. It was obvious that Cigna had struck a chord deep inside the recesses of Victoria's heart. I turned my head to stare at the flame haired woman as I figured it out.

"You don't love Caccio. He's not your true mate."

"Don't call him that disgusting name. His name is James."

"And he's not your true mate," I probed.

"No," Victoria growled. "I suppose it won't hurt to tell you. It's not like the two of you will be making it out of here alive."

A chill ran through me at the tone of her voice.

"My true mate, conveniently enough, also named James, was hunted down and killed in the 1660s. There was all sorts of religious upheaval going on in London at the time. According to James, or Caccio as you disgustingly call him, you two know all about that. _My_ James was out hunting one night down by the docks. He stumbled upon the little scene of you two trying to flee. You had shot James, and were already dead, but James…his heart was still beating faintly. _My _James, my Jamie…he grabbed the body before anyone could really notice, made it seem like James had dragged his body to the water and rolled over the edge."

She pushed off the wall and began to pace back and forth like a caged beast. She smiled as she began to talk again.

"Oh my Jamie…he was so beautiful, so strong. The people in London were beginning to form mobs, groups set on hunting down creatures like us. In retaliation, Jamie started to turn people. His control was superb…I had to build mine up over the years. Jamie thought James would make a good addition to our little group. We were hiding out in a large cave, far outside of London. Jamie had already bitten James and begun the change by the time he brought him back to where I was waiting. We had already turned seven others and they were causing chaos all over England. Jamie didn't think any amount of humans could stop a group of ten vampires, eight of them being newborns. He planned to ravage the city."

Her face changed, and I wasn't sure what kind of look passed across her face. It looked like pain and sadness, but it was gone just as quickly as it came.

"Jamie wanted to head out two nights later. Said we needed one more newborn. James' transformation was almost complete and I would be fine left with him alone. I needed to feed though, as did Jamie. The control it took to change all the newborns was taking a toll on him and he was weak, not having had enough blood. We traveled using the sewer system to get into London undetected. Jamie…he was so weak. Of course that had to be the moment he would find his singer."

Victoria's face turned dark as she spoke the word, "singer". James had said Alice was his, and I had a bad feeling about what Victoria was about to say.

"Jamie jumped out of the sewer without even thinking. He attacked the man, trying to get his fill of his singer's sweet blood. Of course, the man had to be a part of one of the lynch groups that were hunting down vampires. They chased after Jamie and I ran through the sewers, looking for a safe place to emerge."

A distinct look of hate was clear on her face now.

"I was too late. They cornered Jamie, who wasn't thinking clearly and had set him on fire. I watched, horrified as my mate thrashed about, his body turning to ash. They watched…laughing and congratulating each other on catching a vampire and killing it. When there was nothing but purple smoke and ash, they turned, all saying they should check on their friend, the blond man that was my Jamie's singer. They never got the chance though. I killed them all, glutted myself on their blood before ripping them to pieces."

Victoria sighed. "I don't know how I ended up back on the cave after that. I was grieving, mourning my loss. I completely forgot about the fact that James was there. He was frantic of course when he woke up, demanding to know what was going on and where he was. I told him he had been given a second chance, a chance to right all the wrongs that had been done on to him in his human life. It was what Jamie had told me when he made me. James of course seemed to like that idea."

She shrugged her shoulders as she went back to lean against the wall. "Of course, he eventually told me about the curse and you two and all of that crap. He was thirsty for your blood, and I was angry at the world. It wasn't long before we became what he thinks are true mates. He satisfies me in all the ways that count, but I'll never love him like Jamie. Plus…I discovered who my singer is, and James, well…his gift is tracking, specifically the two of you, and how convenient that one of you, just happens to have blood flowing through you that was made just for me."

Cigna whimpered and clutched tightly to my shirt. Victoria walked closer, sticking her face right in front of Cigna and me. She inhaled deeply and smiled, revealing her razor sharp, white teeth.

"It took me over a hundred years to build up a tolerance for your blood, Edward. And I plan on savoring every drop of it this time."

I couldn't stop the gasp that left my lips.

"Oh yes," she grinned. "It's your blood that calls to me, and James leads me to you every time. Most only get to have their singer once if at all, but me? I stay with James, looking forward to finding you each and every time you're reborn just so I can savor the most delicious blood over and over again."

"You're using him," Cigna whispered.

"Of course I'm using him!" Victoria cackled. "Why wouldn't I? I'd be a fool to give up getting the chance to drink my singer dry over and over again!"

"You don't love him," I stated plainly.

"Of course not!" Victoria scoffed. "Have you not been listening? His gift is tracking you, my singer, down and ending your life. Sure he's good for a fuck now and then, but all I want is your blood…and revenge.

Cigna shifted against, almost as if she were trying to get even closer than we already were. She was strong, but I knew she was frightened of what exactly was going to happen to us.

"Mmmm…" Victoria hummed, "And this lifetime…we got more than we ever bargained for. When we saw your face on the news, we began to head for Washington. I was even more surprised when I saw pictures of the other doctors who worked in Forks."

"Carlisle Cullen…" She drew out. "The same damn blond man that got my Jamie killed."

Cigna gasped softly and I felt my mouth pop open slightly in shock. Carlisle was her mate's singer? Alice was Caccio's singer? She was right…in this lifetime, they were getting everything. They could end everyone that they had felt had ever wronged them.

"Apparently, my Jamie didn't cause enough damage…but I will. Oh I will. I will end him, and I will end that damn Mary Alice. For decades all I heard about was Mary Alice and James bitching about being unable to have his singer while I feasted on mine. Well, I will end her once and for all just so his damn bitching will end! I swear, if it wasn't for his ability to find you, Edward, I would've left him to his own devices years ago."

Cigna had begun to shake in my arms, and I held her tighter, running my hand up and down her back.

"Sounds like your plans differ a little from Caccio's," I baited her.

"Stop calling him that!" She screamed.

"He doesn't plan on ending the Cullens. He plans on letting them live, and having Alice's visions torture her for the rest of her days. I don't think he cares what happens to the Cullens."

Victoria growled, "That shit."

"Who's using who now?"

She was in my face in an instant, teeth bared and growling. Cigna screamed and held to me tightly. Victoria's eyes were black and filled with rage. I watched as they slowly faded back to their vibrant red. She pulled back, grabbing the bags of food and tossing them on the bed next to Cigna and me.

"Eat up," She snarled. "You're going to need your strength."

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, my stomach was full and it was dark in the room, hardly any light filtering in through the dirty windows. I saw Cigna moving in the corner of the room, crouched over some debris.

"Cigna," I said quietly.

She turned and I was shocked when I saw a flame flicker to life in her hand.

"Cigna!" I shouted, but she quickly brought her finger to her mouth. I snapped my lips shut and nodded. She let the lighter's flame die and came back to the bed. I sat up and looked at the little pink lighter in her hands.

"Do you remember what Victoria said? About what happened to her true mate?"

My eyes widened as I nodded and put the pieces together.

"Nothing but ash and smoke."

Cigna nodded and slipped the lighter into her sock. I wanted to protest, not exactly sure of what her plan was, but I said nothing, unsure of where our captors were and how good their hearing might be. If anyone should hold on the lighter, it should be me. I shook my head and held my hand out to her. I wouldn't let her put herself in any unnecessary danger. Not that things weren't already looking grim, but I wouldn't let her put herself before me. Cigna shook her head stubbornly and frowned.

"Please, my love," I whispered.

Cigna continued to frown and shook her head. I pulled her to me so that was seated on my lap.

"Please, my love," I murmured, leaning forward and pressing my lips to hers. "I can't let anything happen to you."

"Murato…" Cigna whispered, letting her forehead press against mine. I could hear the sadness in her voice. We both knew that the chances of both of us escaping from Caccio, Victoria, and Laurent were almost non-existent, but that didn't mean we couldn't fight.

"I'll always protect you. I'll always love you…always. Remember that, Cigna."

She nodded. "I love you."

She stroked my face softly and I kissed her fingertips as they brushed my lips. My hands traveled up and down her back and I gazed at her, willing my brain to hold on to the memory of, to remember how much I loved her, to remember everything. Neither of us was going to say it, but I knew we were saying goodbye to each other. Sure the lighter might buy us some time, but there were three of them, each one with supernatural strength and speed…one of them would surely put an end to us.

I pulled her closer and pressed my lips to hers. Our lips moved at a hungry and feverish pace…so much emotion behind this kiss. Her arms snaked around my neck and clung to me just as hard as I held on to her. A sob shook Cigna's entire body and I broke our kiss as she became more frantic.

"Shhhh, my love," I murmured between kisses to her forehead, cheeks, and lips. Her hands fisted my hair as she continued to sob.

"I love you, Murato…always."

"To bad he won't remember."

Cigna whimpered and I held her closer to my chest as Laurent walked into the room.

"Move…" he sneered, gesturing to the door.

My eyes narrowed as I looked at him, but I did what I was told, standing up with Cigna in my arms.

"Put her down. She can walk."

Cigna continued to sniffle as I put her down, her arms wrapping around my waist and clutching to me with as much strength as she could muster. Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I held Cigna to my body as we walked out into the hallway. I paused, turning Cigna's body away from Laurent and looked at him.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Straight. Now move. James and Victoria are waiting, and they aren't very patient," Laurent grinned.

I swallowed heavily, but turned and started walking down the hallway in the direction Laurent had pointed towards. I could hear him behind us, humming some song I didn't recognize, and soon we were in a large open room, full of mirrors, both complete and shattered, pieces of glass and wood scattered across the room. I heard Cigna whimper when we saw Caccio and Victoria standing next to a silver table with restraints on top. Laurent pushed my back and I stumbled forward, keeping a hold on Cigna. Caccio grinned and his red eyes seemed to glow.

"Now…the real fun can begin."

**Well? Yes? No? We learned quite a bit right? Next chapter is a big one…I think you've been looking forward to it. I know I have, and why yes, I believe we're coming to the prologue :-)**

**Let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? And I appreciate you all more than I can say for sticking with me! THANK YOU! :-D**


	13. Ch 12: Time Is Running Out

**Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters**

**A/N: Thank you all for reading & reviewing! Show down time! **

**As always, thank you to eternally_addicted for keeping all my crazy ideas straight. And hey, SM said in the guide Alice really was James' singer! :-) Important A/N at the end. **

_**You will suck the life out of me…**_

_**Our time is running out**_

_**Our time is running out**_

_**You can't push it underground**_

_**You can't stop it screaming out**_

_**How did it come to this?**_

_**-Muse, "Time Is Running Out" **_

Chapter 12: Time Is Running Out

_**EPOV**_

"STOP! Please stop!"

I could barely hear the sounds of Cigna's cries over my own screams. Victoria had a knife in her hand and was ever so slowly dragging it along my thigh. I was clad in nothing but my boxer briefs now, and doing my best not to throw up from the pain or the sight of my Cigna in Caccio's filthy hands. Victoria laughed loudly after licking the wound closed.

"James…I'm sure there's a way you can shut her up."

"Don't you fucking touch her!" I yelled, my strength coming back to me when Cigna was threatened.

I heard Cigna's cry, and in a blink Caccio was in my face, one arm wrapped around Cigna's waist and the other around her breasts. Cigna whimpered as Caccio's hand moved to palm her breast. I growled and fought against my restraints, though it was a useless attempt.

"I could fuck her right here in front of you, and you wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it," Caccio hissed. "Would you like that, Murato? Do you want to watch?"

I growled and fought against my restraints as Caccio squeezed one of Cigna's breasts.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" I roared.

Cigna screamed as Caccio pushed her forward and her body bent over mine, his hands beginning to tug at her clothing.

"Maybe I can make up for lost time," Caccio grinned, "I can finish what Santiago never got to, hmmmm?"

Cigna was crying and her eyes found mine, tears falling down her cheeks. Caccio knew just how to break us…he knew physical pain wouldn't be enough. He was attacking our hearts and minds, inflicting the most pain possible…and it was working

"Enough, James!" She hissed. "Not yet…we don't want to break the two of them too soon. There's still much fun to be had."

Caccio looked to contemplate this for a moment, and I screamed for Cigna as he ripped her body away from mine and tossed her back against a wall behind him.

"You're right, my dear," Caccio said, sidling up to Victoria and taking the knife from her. "I do believe it's my turn with dear Murato anyway."

I had no idea where the third one, Laurent, was, but Cigna and I had been alone with Caccio and Victoria in the large room for what seemed like hours now. Sadly, I knew it probably had been closer to one hour. How much longer did they plan to torture us this way? I saw Cigna push herself up slowly into a sitting position and Victoria moved to stand behind her. Cigna tried to give me a smile, but I could see her entire body shaking from here. I gazed into her brown eyes, trying to will myself to remember them in my next lifetime. Our connection was severed when the knife cut sharply into one of my wrists.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed.

Caccio laughed in glee before he bent his head down and licked the blood off the knife.

"I have missed your screams, Murato. Though, I must say, I can't imagine anything better than watching you when it's Cigna's turn on this table."

"No!" I growled.

"Oh, I always loved that about you, Murato. So foolish, so confident…it makes it so much more fun when I prove you wrong!" Caccio's red eyes glowed in the dimming light.

It was hard to know exactly what time it was from in here, but the light coming through the tinted windows wasn't as bright as it had been earlier, so my guess was that it was some time around twilight.

"I had quite the fun with you last time I found you," Caccio continued. "You were a lawyer in New York City. If I'm not mistaken you and Cigna had been so close that time too, without even knowing it. You were still a raging alcoholic in that lifetime too. I cornered you in an alley, and you of course tried to pick a fight. Victoria and I beat you to a pulp before we feasted on your blood. N.Y.P.D. still has it classified as one of their most gruesome crime scenes of all time."

"James!" Victoria shouted. "Lick his wound shut! You're wasting too much blood!"

Caccio bent his head and licked the wound closed before he circled around my body again. My body was beginning to feel weak from the blood loss, and I cringed as I watched Caccio lick the blood from around his lips. Before I had to time to bring up Victoria and her using him, Caccio plunged the knife deep into my thigh. I barely made out Cigna's plea to stop over my own excruciating scream.

"Fuck, James…you're making me so hot for you right now," Victoria purred.

Unsurprisingly, torture got the crazy bitch off. I gritted my teeth as Caccio went at vampire speed and pinned her against the wall, crushing the plaster and glass around them. Cigna whimpered and crawled away.

"Wait…wait…" Victoria panted, "Let us insure our pets won't get away before we…take care of business."

"Murato's not going anywhere," Caccio growled, his hips moving insistently against Victoria's.

"Ah…but your little Cigna might."

Caccio growled loudly before he pushed himself away. "Make her weak then! I want you now woman!"

Victoria held up her finger as she stalked towards Cigna, who was trying to scurry backwards. I cried for her to run, but Victoria caught her easily, pulling her wrist to her mouth.

"No!" I screamed, the same time Cigna did. I remembered the burning in my veins after Victoria had bitten me. Even the knife still lodged in my thigh couldn't compare to that. I watched in horror as Victoria dropped Cigna's body to the floor.

"Cigna!" I cried as she screamed and her body writhed on the floor.

"Fuck, babe…let's go…" James said impatiently. I was disgusted as he licked his lips and watched as Cigna arched in pain on the floor. The prominent bulge in his low slung jeans made my stomach churn further.

"That should have been long enough," Victoria said before she grabbed a hold of Cigna again.

My love screamed, but her body slowly ceased its movements as Victoria sucked the venom back out. I knew from experience that Cigna was going to be extremely weak now, even weaker than I myself had been due to her tiny frame. I was somewhat relieved to see that Victoria had placed Cigna's now unconscious body softly on the ground. She moved at vampire speed and removed the knife from my leg and licked the wound closed. My head felt dizzy from all of their vampire movements and my loss of blood. Victoria caressed my cheek and it made my skin crawl.

"Enjoy some rest time…and don't try anything stupid. Laurent is…around."

Caccio and Victoria disappeared in a flash, though her words made me doubt Laurent was really around. My eyes felt heavy and I tried to will my body to stay awake and figure a way out of this while they were gone, but I couldn't fight it. My world slowly became black with Cigna's name on my lips.

* * *

I slowly came to, the sound of soft grunts meeting my ears. My eyes shot open, fearing the worst for my Cigna. When I looked around, the studio was an eerie blue color, and Caccio and Victoria were nowhere to be seen.

"Cigna?" I said, suddenly panicking. Her body was no longer lying where I had last seen it.

"Shhhhhhh…" came a soft hiss to my right, "I don't know where they are, but none of them are here."

To my great relief, I saw the top of Cigna's head as she crouched underneath the table I lay on.

"What are you doing, my love?"

Her hand darted up and she showed me a large piece of broken mirror.

"I'm trying to cut these leather straps loose so we can get out of here! I've been thinking about this decision non-stop. The room, where we might be…everything I can to give Alice something. We can't be too far from Forks. James and Laurent ran here with me. I can only pray that Victoria's shield has a distance limitation or something, and that maybe Alice is still looking for us."

"Do you think so, Cigna?" I asked, testing the restraints. The restraints were leather and locked on with a key.

"I don't know," She grunted, "but I just want to get you out of these first and then see if we can get out of here. We're definitely in a ballet studio, and like I said we're not far I think. Maybe we can make it to Port Angeles or Forks? I don't think we're in La Push, but I think we're still in Seattle."

I nodded absently mindedly, my eyes fixed on the scar from where Victoria's teeth sank into her flesh.

"How are you feeling? Victoria," I swallowed heavily, "She must've taken quite a bit of blood."

"I still feel a little weak," Cigna sighed, "But it's now or never. We have to try while they're gone."

My leg wound had healed and I definitely felt stronger. I gave a sharp tug to the restraint Cigna was working on, and she gasped loudly when it broke free. She quickly stood up and moved to the other side. I sat up and moved, surprised my legs had been freed.

"Those didn't have locks on them," Cigna smiled.

"Hand me the glass," I said.

Cigna thankfully didn't argue and handed the piece over before I began to saw away at the piece of leather. From the corner of my eye, I saw Cigna's head darting around the room, no doubt watching for any sign of the three vampires. The soft snap of leather breaking sounded ten times louder in the quiet of the studio. Cigna rushed into my arms and I held her tightly before pressing my lips to hers.

"Come on," She said, tugging my hand, "Let's go!"

Ignoring the fact that I was clad only in my underwear, I laced my fingers with hers and pulled her behind me as we started to make our way towards the doors.

The sound of clapping from behind us froze us both in our spots, and I whirled around, shoving Cigna behind me. Walking out of the shadows was Laurent, clapping his hands lazily with a smile on his face.

"James and Victoria will be disappointed they missed such an impressive escape attempt."

"Murato…" Cigna whimpered behind me. I could feel her body shaking and pulled her closer to me.

"Cigna…"I whispered, pushing her backwards as I started to move slowly.

Cigna screamed as Laurent suddenly appeared in front of us, and my breath was cut off as his hand wrapped around my neck. I pushed Cigna back with my hands and I heard her fall to the floor. Laurent lifted me up in the air and I kicked at him, my bare feet doing nothing against his stone skin. I saw Cigna crawling away, her eyes never leaving mine.

Laurent chuckled darkly, his red eyes boring into mine.

"Perhaps just a taste…incapacitate you until Victoria returns and she can suck the venom out. They'll be along shortly."

His grip around my neck tightened and he turned me in a way that I could no longer see Cigna. He grinned, looking completely like the carnivore that he is. I screamed out as his teeth came closer to the junction of my neck and shoulder. Suddenly, I realized I wasn't the only one screaming, and my body went flying backwards and I hit the wall hard before I crumpled to the ground. Another scream left my mouth as something pierced my thigh in almost the exact same spot that Caccio had stabbed me in earlier. My eyes were watering and when I was able to pry my eyes open, I saw that it was Laurent screaming as Cigna tried to crawl away and towards me. Her leg was bleeding heavily and she had a gash on her forehead.

Laurent was who really caught my attention though. He was struggling out of his jacket and shirt, tearing the material to pieces, and roaring each time his hands got singed by flames. Cigna had used the lighter that she had found. I tried to move and crawl towards her, but I screamed in pain when I moved my leg.

Finally free of his burning clothes, Laurent lunged at Cigna.

"You little bitch!" He growled. The lighter fell out of Cigna's hand and bounced towards me.

"Cigna, NO!" I tried to scream, but blood in my throat made the words sound like a gurgle of nothing.

Laurent had picked her up, bit her shoulder hard, and threw her body across the room and into a wall of mirrors. Cigna screamed, and I cried out for her again as she landed in a bloodied heap. I tried again to move towards the lighter, but the wound in my leg burned when I tried to move it.

"Laurent!" I heard Victoria shriek, "What have you done! You fool!"

Through the pain, I saw Caccio strike Laurent so hard that his body crashed through a wooded panel on the opposite side of the room. Victoria was screaming at both Caccio and Laurent, ignoring Cigna and myself. I could feel the blood draining from my body, and I was growing weaker by the second. I knew this was it…Victoria and Caccio would never let me become a vampire like them, and they would just kill me. I coughed trying to clear the blood from my airway. The tears began to prickle in my eyes. This was it…we were going to be parted once again.

Not many people think about how they're going to die. At least no one I knew before I came here to Forks, save for a few clients I had worked with in the past. No one likes to think that this moment may be your last. No one likes to think that this soft embrace with your lover might be your last, that this may be the last time you ever see them. Very few learn to live in the moments. I hadn't learned that lesson…though you'd think it would've been ingrained in my memory. Why couldn't I see it in_ her_ eyes? Eyes that I was supposed to know. If only I had believed _her._ If only I could have remembered _her _sooner_._

My body felt broken and my muscles burned when I tried to move, yet I forced my head to turn to where she lay. Her bones were shattered like the glass around her. I tried to call out for her, but felt thick liquid spill from my mouth instead. Trying to cough and clear my throat only made the burning I felt in my body even worse. I couldn't even cry out in pain, liquid now choking my throat closed.

I saw my love's eyes meet mine and I knew…I knew this was it. I had failed her again. The same brown eyes I had failed for centuries knew too. This was the end for us. She seemed so far away and her voice seemed faint as I heard her cry out my name across the room. I lay paralyzed as the death descended upon her, while the demon with the fire hair turned and started to advance toward me, teeth bared and claws outstretched. Her menacing smile that spread across her face seemed to increase the heat of the flames that licked at my body. I knew that death had come for me.

Laurent stood in a corner of the room, chastised for his weakness. Caccio crept towards Cigna as Victoria slinked towards me, her eyes black now and like those of a shark on the hunt. It had been all up to me, to Edward…all he had to do was remember…all I had to do was remember, but I had failed her again. My eyes found Cigna's one last time, and I saw her mouth the three words that meant more than anything coming from her lips. I only had one last thought before the flames consumed by body and the world went dark.

_Isabel…Marie…Belle…Bella…I'm sorry…I love you…_

* * *

_**APOV**_

"Esme! ESME!" I cried, crawling towards the only mother I had ever known. I slumped over awkwardly next to her and rolled onto my side, trying my best to face her.

Esme's skin on her face was cracked like mine, but slowly healing back together. She gave me a weak smile and pushed me gently onto my back instead of resting on one of my healing shoulders.

"I'll be fine, Alice. Can you see anything? Anything at all?"

I tried and was surprised to see James and Laurent running through the trees. Bella hung limply from James' back, and her tears were apparent. Suddenly the vision went black, and I was in the dark again. I knocked the back of my head against the floor.

"I don't know what happened…I saw them in the woods, but suddenly the vision went blank and I lost them again."

"Victoria must be shielding them," Esme sighed, sitting up slowly. She lifted her pant leg and was assessing the healing on her leg. I closed my eyes and tried to see when Jasper, Carlisle, and Emmett would get here. I sighed heavily.

"The boys will be here in a little under two minutes…try and stay calm. Jasper is going to be extremely upset."

Esme nodded. Hopefully, if she and I stayed calm, we could balance out the anger that was about to come tearing into the room. I looked for Bella and Edward again, but there was nothing coming to me. The rain was starting to come down outside, and I knew Esme was not going to be pleased with Carlisle and her sons fretting over the both of us while dragging their dripping wet bodies throughout the house. We had bigger things to worry about. Any hope of tracking James and Laurent, even Bella, was being washing away with every raindrop that fell from the sky.

"Here they come," I whispered, assessing the damage on my left arm.

There was a quick breeze and suddenly Jasper was crouching next to me, his eyes full of heartache, but a snarl on his lips. Carlisle and Emmett soon followed. Both looked much like Jasper.

"Darlin'…oh, Darlin', are you…" Jasper couldn't even finish the words as he helped me sit up and pulled me into his arms. He held me like I was made of glass instead of stone as he looked over each crack that was slowly healing back up.

"I'll be fine," I murmured, pressing my face against his neck and taking a deep breath to calm myself. I could feel the anger and hate rolling off of him.

"I'll kill him," Jasper growled, "if not for Edward and Bella, for you, and because he tried to take what was mine."

"Shhhhh…" I hummed, "We need a plan and focus on finding Edward and Bella."

"You all right, shorty?" Emmett asked, crouching down next to us. He had calmed down considerably since he arrived in the house and it was helping Jasper to calm down as well.

"I'll be a hundred percent in about five minutes. Esme should be right as rain any second," I said, giving Em a confident smile.

"Already am, my dear," Esme responded, pulling herself up to her feet. Carlisle was immediately behind her helping her and wrapped his arm around her waist when she was steadied. Not wanting anyone to worry about me any longer, I asked about what they found.

Carlisle sighed. "Victoria was definitely there. Her scent was faint, but it was all around the driver's side door. We must've just missed her."

"What was strange was that the scent traveled through Port Angeles," Jasper added, still holding me in his arms.

"Through the town?" Esme asked, surprise evident in her voice. "She wouldn't possibly act on anything while hiding in the town."

"We lost her scent near the ocean," Emmett stated. "I doubt she swam somewhere with Edward, but it's a possibility."

We all sat and pondered these things for a bit. No one had seen Edward being abducted. His car was in a secluded part of the parking lot, that much I had seen, and there was nothing left behind to indicate who the silver Volvo belonged to. Jasper said Victoria was smart and had taken the registration card from inside the car with her. There was no trace of Edward around the car that a human could find, and even his scent was almost too faint for our superior sense of smell.

"There was something…odd that happened before you came back," I said, my brow furrowing as I thought about it.

"What was it, Darlin'?" Jasper asked urgently.

I was momentarily distracted by my left arm being completely healed, and I moved it briefly before answering my love.

"After they took off with Bella, I could see James and Laurent running with her in the woods. They weren't being blocked by Victoria's shield…" I trailed off, my mind going back to the fight.

"And now that I think about it…I think I was seeing James' decisions while we were fighting. He's a superior fighter compared to me, but I still think I saw his moves coming…"

"So what are you saying?" Emmett asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Victoria's shield wasn't working," Carlisle said. "There must be some kind of weakness in her power then."

"Or she was momentarily distracted and let her guard down," Jasper stated.

"I'll have to research it," Carlisle said, leaning in and giving Esme a kiss on her forehead. "Will you be all right without me, my dear?"

Esme nodded and leaned up, kissing Carlisle's jaw. "You do what you need. I think Alice and I are in need of a hunt."

"I'm coming with you two," Jasper said immediately. I knew he was nervous about leaving the two of us alone again. I just smiled and squeezed his hand, relishing in having the use of my arms once again.

"Em, you stay with Carlisle and help him research," I said. "I think it would be for the best if none of us are caught alone. We don't know what the nomads are planning."

"Sounds like a plan," Emmett said, springing up to his feet.

Esme, Jasper, and I took off through the woods after Esme asked Carlisle and Emmett to first board up the back of the house the best they could. She didn't ask, but I had seen that they would clean up all of the debris before we arrived back as well. Esme and I were both weak and we glutted ourselves on a heard off dear that we found deep in the woods. Jasper picked off two just to keep his strength up. We didn't know when we might be expecting a fight, and all of us wanted to be at full strength. Carlisle and Emmett had decided they would go hunting on our return.

For the first time in weeks, I tried to look for Rosalie's future. Emmett didn't talk about it, but Jasper told me that from the few times we saw each other for extended periods of time, he could feel Emmett's loneliness. I sighed to myself as I pulled a carcass of a deer into the brush. Rosalie's eyes were black as night as she sat near the window in the living room of the Denali's home. She was refusing Tanya's invitation to go hunting. I hoped that my sister would come to her senses and return. Emmett had always had more faith in my visions than Rosalie did, and he loved our little family. It had surprised me that he remained loyal to us instead of Rosalie, but he was adamant that she would come to her senses. No one knew her better than Emmett did, so I prayed in time that he would be right. If she still didn't return by the end of whatever outcome came of Bella and Edward, I would make Emmett go to here. I didn't like seeing my big bear of a brother suffering.

"You're feeling so lonely," Jasper stated, coming to stand next to me. I gave him a faint smile, bringing myself back to the present.

"I was looking for Rosalie," I said quietly. "She's being as stubborn as ever up in Denali."

"Em told me she hasn't once tried to contact him. He calls her once a week. Tanya usually ends up talking to him."

I sighed and shook my head sadly. "She'll come to her senses…I know it."

"I hope so, Darlin'. I hope so."

Esme soon joined us, dusting some dirt off of her pants. I had to chuckle a little bit. She and I were both so thirsty that our usual precision was a little off and we were both messier than usual. She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me, and threw some mud, which I dodged easily, as I giggled. There was at least some happiness and silliness left in the world…however fleeting.

"Let's head back," Jasper suggested.

Carlisle and Emmett were just starting their research in Carlisle's office. Esme was incredibly grateful that they had cleaned things up, and as Jasper and I took Carlisle and Emmett's places doing the research, Esme began to make her plans on restoring the house.

"There's not a lot of information on shielding powers," Jasper commented as we poured over Carlisle's journals that he had kept over the years. There were several other documents he had collected over the centuries that spoke in detail of our kind.

"Well, she must be a very powerful shield," I said, putting aside another journal and deciding to give looking for Bella and Edward another try. "She's older than Carlisle, which means she's had a very long time to build that power up."

"True…but every power has its limitation," Jasper said.

I nodded as I closed my eyes and searched for Edward first. There was still nothing, and now when I searched for Bella, the vision I had of she and I together was sketchy and no longer solid. Something in her future was changing.

"Something must be happening," I said, my eyes still closed and trying to focus on that vision of Bella and me together.

"What? What do you see, Darlin'?" Jasper asked, taking one of my hands.

"The vision…the one of Bella and I…it's fading."

I opened my eyes and immediately looked at Jasper. "We have to find them, find something…the future is changing and I can't even see it."

"We'll find something," Jasper said, sending me a wave of confidence. I gave him a quick kiss and picked up another journal.

We continued well into the early hours of the morning, pouring over notes and books. Carlisle and Esme had taken a little "break" with each other a few hours ago, and we "kids" tried not to overhear. Emmett was surprisingly very serious as he read over the books and notes in the library, and made no teasing remarks when Carlisle and Esme both returned, sporting different outfits from those they left in. As the others continued to read on, I sat in one of Carlisle's comfy armchairs, focusing on the visions of Bella and me. They were fading and I didn't know what that meant.

I gasped suddenly, sitting bolt upright in the chair. Jasper and Carlisle's voices were near, but I could barely hear them.

_Edward is tied to a table and Bella shows him the piece of broken mirror she is trying to use to cut the leather straps that hold him._

"_I'm trying to cut these leather straps loose so we can get out of here!" Bella cries. "I've been thinking about this decision non-stop. The room, where we might be…everything I can to give Alice something. We can't be too far from Forks. James and Laurent ran here with me. I can only pray that Victoria's shield has a distance limitation or something, and that maybe Alice is still looking for us."_

"_Do you think so, Cigna?" Edward asks testing the restraints. The restraints were leather and locked on with a key._

"_I don't know," She grunts, "but I just want to get you out of these first and then see if we can get out of here. We're definitely in a ballet studio, and like I said we're not far I think. Maybe we can make it to Port Angeles or Forks? I don't think we're in La Push, but I think we're still in Seattle."_

"I see them!" I cried. "They're in a ballet studio! Bella thinks they're near!"

"Emmett!" Jasper ordered.

"On it!" Emmett shouted as he zipped over to the computer and started searching on the Internet.

"Alice, are Edward and Bella okay?" Esme asked worriedly.

I closed my eyes and repeated the vision, trying to look for something again. I didn't get anything new.

"They're been worked over pretty good, but they're…okay," I said slowly. "I'm not getting anything new. I don't know when Bella's made this decision."

"I got it!" Emmett shouts. "There's an abandoned ballet studio outside of Port Angeles. It's on the coast and has been closed for the past ten years."

"That has to be it," Carlisle said, standing.

"Are you sure?" Esme asked, worry for Bella and Edward evident on her face.

"Alice, do you see anything else? Anything else in that vision that can help us?"

I close my eyes and play the vision back in my head, taking advantage of our vampire photographic memories. I feel my brows furrow as I look at painted words, fading on a wall next to the mirrors.

"_Ms. Patti's School of Da_

_The Best Dance Class in Port Ang"_

The words were faded, but they were enough.

"Emmett, the name! What was the name of the dance school?" I shouted, jumping to my feet.

"Ms. Patti's School of Dance."

"That's it! I saw the name on the wall! That's where they are!"

I ran for the door, only to be caught by Jasper.

"Let me go! We have to go!" I nearly growled.

"Darlin', we need a plan," Jasper said quietly, sending out a wave of calm.

"But we have to go! We don't know what is going to happen or when this will happen!"

"But you still see it happening?" Carlisle asked, now standing in front of me.

I nodded as Emmett came to stand by us, along with Esme.

"We need a plan of attack," Jasper insisted again.

"Laurent is mine," Esme growled, surprising us all.

"Whoa there, Momma Bear…" Emmett slowly, "Not that I don't think you can do it, but he did a number on you last time."

"She's not taking him down alone," Carlisle growled, showing a rare aggressive side.

"All right," Jasper nodded. "Esme and Carlisle take Laurent. Emmett, I want you and Alice to go after Victoria. James is mine."

I was about to protest, but I knew Jasper would have a perfectly good point when he would then counter my protest by pointing out he was the best fighter out of all of us. Carlisle and Emmett knew better than to argue with him too. Emmett pulled out his phone.

"I have the coordinates."

"Give them to me," Jasper asked, holding his hand out for Emmett's phone.

There was a nervous tension in the air now. We weren't sure what we were going to find at the ballet studio.

"Let's go."

Without another thought we were taking off through the woods, following Jasper's lead. The men of course flew ahead of us. I tried to look for the future I saw of us in the ballet studio all those weeks ago, but now I saw nothing. The darkness pushed my legs faster as Esme and I kept up with the men.

"Five more miles," Jasper called out. "Esme with Carlisle, Alice with Emmett! Remember get them away from Edward and Bella!"

The building was in view when he all heard both the human and inhuman screams. Jasper pulled us all up to a stop. The building was in view, but the light rain was keeping the nomads' scents from wafting through the air.

"We go in from the roof," Jasper said. "Get the drop on them. Come on."

If the situation wasn't so dire, I would've admired the way my husband's form jumped and coiled as he sprung from spot to spot scaling the wall and over the roof.

"Come on, shorty…you can drool later," Emmett whispered. I growled softly at him as we began to climb as well. There was a faint smell of something burning in the air.

"One of them was burned," Carlisle whispered, confirming my thoughts.

"Here," Jasper whispered. There were three skylights along the roof. We could all clearly hear James and Victoria quarreling with each other. When I had peeked through the skylight, I saw that they were both stalking towards Edward and Bella separately, and I felt panic well up in my chest. There was so much blood, and I couldn't see if Jasper, or any of us for that matter, would lose our control. Neither human was moving and I couldn't wait any longer.

"Alice!" Jasper hissed as I lifted the glass of the skylight. Victoria and James were both too frenzied to notice anything else…they were in their feeding zone, and nothing would deter them from the blood of Edward and Bella.

Jasper and Carlisle had quickly followed suit, and with each of the men crouched in the openings ready to spring, I looked at Jasper one last time. His eyes were black, and I prayed he would make it through this.

"GO!"

Even at vampire speed, everything happened so fast. As soon as Emmett was gone, I quickly followed, and silently prayed for the rest of my family. Emmett landed on top of Victoria as I landed in front of Edward. Victoria screamed in rage and began to slash at Emmett. My brother got a lock around her torso and lifted her body, slamming her hard into the ground. In the background I could hear the growls and snarls of James and Jasper, and even Esme and Carlisle. Victoria landed a kick to Emmett's gut that sent him flying and I knew I had to focus on my own fight.

I sprang at her, my hands tangling in her hair and tugging as hard as could…a good, old fashioned cat fight.

"Bitch!" Victoria snarled as she tried to grab a hold of my tiny body.

Emmett had recovered and in no time was at my side, incapacitating the left side of Victoria's body in a vicious hold. My teeth sank into her right shoulder socket and the sound of rock shattering sounded through the air as I ripped her right arm from her body. Victoria let out a howl of pain and anger and I hopped off her back.

"I got this, shorty," Emmett grunted, "You go check on Edward."

Emmett was dragging Victoria's screaming and thrashing body towards Esme, and soon Esme was engaged in the fight to control Victoria. I didn't know where Laurent had gone. Not taking the time to wonder, I saw Carlisle already crouched over Bella's broken form, but I screamed when I saw Jasper.

"EMMETT!"

Following my horrified gaze, Emmett left Esme to fight a one armed Victoria as he quickly went to my love's aid. James had Jasper in a headlock, and the sight had paralyzed me in horror. I wouldn't survive if Jasper didn't.

"Alice!" Carlisle yelled from across the room, jutting his head towards Edward's crippled form.

I snapped out of my horrified shock. Emmett would never let anything happen to Jasper. I repeated that in my head as I crouched over Edward's body. He was so pale, so much of his blood pooling around him that he looked like one of us, and blood was covering the entire length of him. I immediately held my breath. He was bleeding profusely from his thigh and from what I remembered about anatomy, I feared it was his femoral artery. I began to tie a tourniquet around his leg using my belt. The smell though…it wasn't there when I saw this in my visions. Edward's blood smelled unlike any other human's I had ever come across. He had always smelled appealing, but here with the red liquid flowing freely…it was the most intoxicating scent.

"Start the fire!" Jasper yelled toward Emmett.

I saw Jasper was still fighting with James, but he now had both of his arms pinned behind his back. Emmett was ripping floorboards from the ground and searching for the lighter. Again, I was frozen. The venom was pooling in my mouth…Edward's blood running freely smelled so sweet.

"Alice!" Jasper shouted, noticing the hungry look in my eye. I could tell he was trying to influence my control. If I could maybe just lick Edward's wounds closed…I could stop the bleeding. My control was slipping…thinner now than a piece of string. Despair filled me. I justified my need to taste his blood by using my venom to seal his wounds closed.

"Jasper, I can't!" I called, my hands fumbling with tying a belt around a human's leg, "I have to stop it! There's so much blood!"

"Alice!" Jasper roared again, struggling to hold on to James as Emmett searched for the lighter, "Don't do it!"

My eyes snapped to Edward's face when I heard a soft groan. Green eyes met mine, and suddenly they were panicked.

"Alice…Alice…" Edward was breathing hard. "Cigna…she said…you save…save her…"

Blood spilled from his mouth and it hit me so suddenly. I had never seen a vision of Edward as one of us because_ I_ hadn't yet decided to make him like us. Victoria or Laurent's venom was in Bella's system, and I could see her writhing on the ground from the burning. Carlisle looked torn…but I knew the reason I had seen Bella as one of us, was because Carlisle had already decided that he would help her, even before he knew he would be faced with the choice. It was in his nature to help, and already knowing of my visions, would solidify his decision to make my visions possible.

"Do it, Carlisle," I said.

His golden eyes snapped towards mine.

"Do it…I'm certain," I nodded.

Raising Edward's wrist to my mouth, I saw Carlisle's eyes go wide in horror as Edward began to gasp, "no" and "Cigna".

"Alice!" Carlisle shouted from across the room. None of us possessed the control Carlisle did.

I still couldn't get any visions of the future…which meant Victoria's shied must be over us all…and she was still alive. My thoughts couldn't focus on that though as my ears flooded with the sound of Edward's faint pulse.

"Alice…" He croaked, his pleading green eyes meeting mine. I had no idea if this was going to work, but this had to be the reason why I couldn't see him before. _I_ hadn't decided to do this yet, and once Victoria was dead, I would see visions of Edward and Bella.

"It'll be over soon," I whispered before sinking my teeth into Edward's wrist.

As the warm blood flooded my mouth, it was almost like a wrecking ball went straight through me. I had never tasted anything so divine and it filled my mouth. I swallowed greedily as my venom mixed with his blood. I could vaguely hear both Jasper and Carlisle's alarmed screams, and Edward's as the venom began to do its job. The blood lust was almost too much…until I heard Bella's faint, agonized voice.

"Murato!"

I ripped myself away…the red haze of lust slipping away. I stumbled back as Edward's body found unknown strength as he writhed and screamed in agony. I shook my head and felt the lust slowing leaving me. I couldn't see the outcome yet…but I felt I had made the right decision. Feeling more like myself, I knew I had to stop Edward's bleeding and seal his wounds so the venom could do its job. He continued to scream in agony as I moved closer.

"Edward! Edward, shhh! Hold on!" I cried, feeling myself battle the urge to taste the blood again, and to save him. My hands fumbled with the belt I had tied in a tourniquet early. The less blood flowing to the wound that was trying to heal, the better.

My body was suddenly hit and I went flying, but I was able to turn myself in the air and land on my feet. I crouched and hissed, eying the vampire that stood across from me.

"Alice!" Jasper roared from somewhere across the room, but my eyes were only focused on hers.

I growled, Edward's form was writhing on the floor in pain, as the venom coursed through his body. Jasper and Emmett were across the room, and they were fighting with two forms now, Esme flitting between them all. Laurent had come back. Carlisle was crouched on the ground working feverishly on Bella. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but he looked like he had sucked the venom out of Bella. Her body was no longer writhing like Edward's.

"Pixie bitch," Victoria snarled, bringing me back to the fight in front of me, "the human is mine! His father's sweet blood courses through his veins!"

"You can't have him. This all ends now," I growled.

She lunged at me quicker than I would've thought she was capable of. Her one arm was still missing, but from her time on this earth, she had become most powerful. My hands moved to block her, but she got behind me and I suddenly found myself pinned to the floor. I flailed and kicked as best I could.

"You will not steal him from me," Victoria hissed in my ear. Her one arm began to pull on my hair, my neck straining. "I will always win when it comes to Murato. You will never save him, but I guess that's something you'll never have to worry your pretty little head about ever again."

"ALICE!" Jasper roared from across the room. I saw Esme's horrified eyes and Emmett roared in anger as he tried to get past Laurent.

I whimpered as I could feel the skin at the base of my neck begin to break. I clenched my eyes shut as I whispered my love for Jasper. I didn't want my last sight on this earth to be that of my love's heartbroken eyes. I flinched when I heard the shattering of stone and Jasper's agonized cry.

_Goodbye, my love._

To my immense shock, my head fell forward and hit the ground beneath me, and Victoria's body weight was gone from my back.

"Should've been worried about your own head."

I rolled over in shock at the sound of her voice. My eyes widened as I took in her stunning form.

"Rosalie?" I gasped.

She tugged me up and onto my feet quickly.

"How? But I…I didn't see…" I spluttered. She rolled her eyes at me.

"You were a little preoccupied. Now go help our men while I check on Edward's transformation."

I nodded, leaving Rosalie to do her work, and still in shock that she was here and had found us. Out of all of us, Rosalie had the next best control, so hopefully she would insure that I changed Edward in the correct way. I took in the scene before me, and relished in the sight of the large fire Emmett had been able to start. Laurent's screams sounded almost like music to my ears as Esme ripped his arm off and tossed in the fire. Emmett held him firmly from behind, and soon Esme had a grasp of his hair and tore his head clean off. I almost wanted to clap in glee for my mother. I never thought her capable of such violence. I dragged what remained of Victoria and threw it in quickly, knowing I had to help the others finish off Laurent and James.

James' roared loudly as I tossed Victoria's body onto the fire.

"Bitch! You bitch!"

I waved my hand. "So uncreative with the insults."

My words only made him scream louder.

"Alice!" Jasper snapped as he struggled behind James to push him closer to the fire. I grinned and ran, landing with my feet on James' thighs.

My hands dug into the hair on the back of his head as he snarled and tried to snap at my forearms. I held him firm, and a smile spread across my face as I hissed the last words he would ever hear for the rest of time.

"Smile you son of a bitch."

I wrenched his head clear from his body, the shattering sound of his stone body, completely satisfying. I tossed his head into the fire to join Laurent and Victoria. Jasper made quick work of the rest of him, and soon Jasper, Emmett, Esme, and were standing around the fire to make sure that none of them would be able to come back. A piercing scream reminded all of us that the nomads were not our only concern in the room. As I turned around, I realized that the side Edward and Rosalie were on was silent, while Bella screamed in agony for Murato.

"Rosie?" Emmett asked, stunned by the sight of his wife. He was at her side in an instant.

"How…when…"

If she could have blushed, I'm sure she would've been.

"I…I was just so scared of what would happen if Edward and Bella were added to our family," Rosalie said quietly. "I didn't know how they would fit in, if they would adhere to our diet. Alice couldn't see everything and it frightened me so I left. When I got to Denali, I was so embarrassed by the way I acted, I couldn't take facing you…but then…but then you kept calling every week."

Now I was certain that if she could've cried, Rosalie would've had tears falling down her cheeks.

"Tanya told me how much you missed me, Em. I'm so sorry I left. I'm so sorry I left you and didn't trust your judgment about all of this."

Rosalie hung her head. Emmett didn't even hesitate to pull her into his arms.

"I forgive you, baby. You're back here now, and that's all that matters."

"You saved my life," I piped up, "and you saved Edward's."

"I was coming back," Rosalie said quietly. "But then I caught all of your scents coming this way and thought it was strange."

She smirked. "Apparently I got here just in time."

Carlisle broke up the relatively happy reunion.

"We have to get moving. The fire will spread and we need to move Bella before the transformation begins to get worse. We'll have to lock her in the basement. No one will hear her from there."

"I'll sweep the room for anything that could connect this with us or Edward and Bella," Jasper said, moving quickly. Carlisle was stabilizing Bella as best he could with Esme's help. I moved slowly to where Edward lay, motionless and noiseless. Fear began to creep up my spine.

"Rosalie…" I whispered.

Her black eyes met mine, the joy from being reunited with Emmett giving way to something else. If my heart beat, it would've clenched in pain at that moment.

"Rose…why isn't he…he isn't screaming…" I managed to get out.

"Alice…I think…" Rose paused, "Can you see him?"

I closed my eyes and felt Jasper's presence next to me. A sob lodged in my throat and I sank to my knees.

"I failed them!" I cried.

"Alice, what is it?" Jasper asked urgently. "What are you talking about?"

"I see no future for Edward!" I wailed. "He's gone!"

"Wait!" Carlisle cried, racing to Edward's side and crouching down. "It's faint…but his heart is still beating."

"But I can't see him!"

"It's out of all our hands now," Carlisle said solemnly. "We just have to hope that it was enough."

**Well? Yes? No? I hope that was as epic for you as I felt it was for me. Things are still looking bleak I know…but next chapter is the one I've been waiting for since I started this bad boy. :-D **

**BIG NEWS! This lovely little story, along with two of my others (SIAU and WIT) have been nominated for various Sunflower Awards! I can't even name them all, but "Remember Me" is nominated for quite a few! Please go vote at:**

**http:/thesunflowerawards(dot)blogspot(dot)com/**

**Be sure to also vote for eternally_addicted as best beta for all the work she's done in helping me, and teamswitzerlandmom, because trust me, if you're an author, you want her reading your stories because she is the best reviewer. Vote for them for Best Beta and Best Reviewer!**

**So…please let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? The nomads are gone…but how will the future go now? Hope to update soon! :-) **


	14. Ch 13: Waiting For the End

**Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters…**

**A/N: Thank you for reading & reviewing! This is a big chapter so I won't say much! :-D**

**Special thanks as always to my beta eternally_addicted. Love ya! **

_**What was left**_

_**When that fire was gone**_

_**I thought it felt right**_

_**But that right was wrong**_

_**All caught up in the eye of the storm**_

_**And trying to figure out**_

_**What it's like moving on**_

_**And I don't even know **_

_**What kind of things I said**_

_**My mouth kept moving **_

_**And my mind went dead**_

_**Picking up the pieces**_

_**Now where to begin**_

_**The hardest part of ending **_

_**Is starting again**_

_**-Linkin Park, "Waiting For the End"**_

Chapter 13: Waiting For the End

_**BPOV**_

"Make it stop! Please!"

"Bella…shhhhhh…it'll be over soon!"

I screamed again, my blood feeling like acid burning through my veins.

"MURATO! Make it stop! PLEASE!"

"Bella...it's the change…"

I whimpered, a cool hand gripping mine and offering a brief feeling of comfort. The feeling didn't last long and I screamed again, the burning almost seeming more intense.

"Is it always like this, Carlisle?"

He must've nodded because I didn't hear him respond. My throat felt raw as I screamed and screamed, wishing to die and wishing to see Murato again. My brain was finally catching up to what Carlisle had said: _it's the change_. It was happening…I was becoming a vampire. Caccio must have been defeated, and I was cheating death. But where was Murato?

"MURATO!" I screamed, "MURATO!"

"It's going to be over soon, Bella," Esme said softly, but I grimaced and my blood burned hotter at the sad tone in her voice.

A female voice I didn't recognize spoke then. "Carlisle, isn't there anything you can give her? Would morphine help?"

"The venom would burn through it in a matter of minutes, Rosalie."

"Can't we do something?" The one named Rosalie asked again.

"She has two more days."

_Two more days? _I let out a ragged agonized cry, my body arching off the soft bed that I was lying on.

"Murato…I want Murato…" I cried.

"I know, Bella…I know…" Carlisle whispered.

The burning seemed to flare up, and the pain was so intense that I passed out into blackness. Where was my Murato? Was he alive? Was he changed as well?

_Please, Murato…I can't do this without you…_

* * *

I whimpered, doing my best to keep from screaming. My throat was raw and what I now understood was venom was burning every inch of my body. The last time I had felt pain like this was when Belle and Robert perished in the fire that took their lives.

"Murato…" I cried softly, my voice full of the anguish I was feeling physically and emotionally.

"You're doing well, Bella."

"Carlisle…"

"Shhhhhh…what can I do for you Bella? I have nothing for the pain unfortunately."

I could only cry out in response, the sounds coming from my mouth more like that of a wounded animal.

"Shall I tell you what I remember? Of Marie and Anthony?"

I think I managed a nod, but I couldn't be sure.

"Anthony was in love with you from the moment he met you. He and I were close, and though he rarely confided in me when it came to his feelings, it was obvious that he was in love with you."

"The way you two seemed to dance around each other," Carlisle sighed, "It was endearing and amusing. You two were so young, and I recall more than a few times as I proctored Anthony's studies, his eyes following your body as you moved around the room, cleaning or bringing us refreshments. His cheeks turned so red when I called him out on his staring once."

Carlisle sighed and he rubbed my hand gently, his cool touch a little warmer than it had been earlier.

"One of my strongest human memories, and one of the times I remember being the happiest was the day that I married you and Anthony. It was one of the few times I didn't question my religious upbringing, and felt that I was using it to do something truly good in the world. It was also the day that I truly believed in true love, and a love that powerful existing. It gave me hope for the future…though I wouldn't find Esme until over two hundred years later."

Carlisle chuckled softly before he continued.

"Your relationship with Anthony gave me hope that I would find a love like that for myself some day. I remember the look in Anthony's eyes…it was like he had seen an angel, and an angel you were. Angela had created a true masterpiece with your dress…the soft, flowing material…you looked divine. And the way you looked at Anthony…the love between you two was palpable. I'll never forget it."

"As I performed the marriage, the two of you didn't take your eyes off each other for a single second," Carlisle paused and chuckled, "I think you barely even acknowledged I was there save for when I asked for you to say your vows and said you could seal your marriage with a kiss."

Carlisle sighed and squeezed my hand as I clenched my teeth to keep from screaming out.

"It was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever seen, Bella. Save for maybe my own to Esme," he chuckled.

"Murato…Murato…" I whimpered repeatedly.

Carlisle never answered me, and through the pain, a sense of nervousness began to creep up my spine.

* * *

"How much longer do you think she has left?"

"Won't be too much longer now. The pain is going to get worse though."

"I remember that."

I let out a tiny whimper, letting Carlisle and Emmett know that I could hear them.

"Can she hear me?" Emmett asked.

"Em…" I managed to whisper out, without screaming in agony.

"I'll sit with her, Carlisle. You go spend some time with Esme."

"You don't want to spend time with Rosalie?"

"Nah…she's busy getting the cars ready."

I tried to open my eyes, but the pain only intensified when I did so, and I couldn't stop the scream that left my mouth. Apparently I wouldn't be able to see him, but I could feel Emmett's large frame taking a seat next to wherever the soft mattress I was lying on was.

"What are you doing, B?" Emmett seemed to chuckle.

"I wanna…I wanna see…"

"No can do, Bella-boo. The moisture that lubricates your human eyes is being replaced by venom. You won't be seeing daylight for a little while longer."

"It hurts…" I almost whined.

Emmett's tone softened considerably.

"I know, Bella. I can call you Bella right? Or would you rather I call you Cigna?"

"Either…one…" I gasped, a blistering pain worse than what I was already feeling beginning to grow in the tips of my toes and fingers.

"I think I'll stick with Bella. I can get more creative with your nicknames. The only ones I came up with for Cigna were 'Cig Cig' and "Na na", and one makes you sound like a drug while the other makes you sound like that female pop star. Neither of which are good enough for you."

"Good…enough?" I panted out, trying to get a handle on the pain. I realized we must be somewhere secluded, considering how much I was screaming.

"Let me tell you something Bonne Bell, you are one of the bravest women I think I will ever meet in my existence."

When I tried to speak, it only came out as a whimper instead.

"Shhhh…you listen and I'll talk. You'll find I'm quite good at that," Emmett chuckled. "Well, not quite as good as Alice, but I'm sure you know all about that."

I let out a quiet whine that I think was supposed to be a laugh.

"As I was saying Bella Donna, your story…what you've been through for love? There is no chick in this world or in any other that loves as fiercely or fights as hard for love as you do. You're so brave, Bells. You have never given up no matter what the odds were against you."

I felt Emmett pat the top of my head, and I had a feeling that was going to happen in the future too.

"Don't give up okay, Bellsy? Not too much longer now."

"Murato…Mur-"

I didn't get to finish as a scream tore through my throat, feeling like someone was starting to pour acid down my throat, only it was moving at the speed of something gelatinous and I felt it singeing every inch of my throat. I felt like I was choking and my back arched off the bed. I could feel Emmett's large hands holding me down.

"This is the worst of it, Bella. It'll all be over soon."

The pain was paralyzing and I couldn't even scream anymore. I prayed and prayed for the blackness to take me again.

_Why will no one tell me where Murato is? Please…please…_

_Let me die if he is not with me…_

* * *

"Her change is almost complete."

"Look at her…she looks stunning."

"I should get Emmett in case I need help handling her."

"I hope she likes the clothes Alice picked out for her."

I swallowed, my throat feeling raw, but the burning wasn't as intense as it had once been. I was surprised when I was able to form some words.

"Alice picked me clothes?"

I heard a loud gasp from Esme. "What was that, Bella?"

"My clothes…" I broke off, whimpering as the pain seemed to seep towards the center of my body. My chest felt like it was heaving and my heart was hammering so fast I was certain it was going to burst out of my chest.

"You…hope…I…like…my….clo- AHHHHHHHH!"

I screamed, and my body lurched off the mattress. Pain seeped into my chest, all of it centering around my rapidly beating heart. I was breathing heavily, but it felt like my lungs weren't taking any of the oxygen in. The screams tore through my throat in a continuous stream.

"Alice said this is it," I vaguely heard Carlisle say.

I felt like I was choking on the air around me, my heartbeat erratic, and I tried to grab at my neck, but found that my arms felt numb and their movements weren't like my own. Suddenly I felt my heart seize in my chest and a croaking gasp left my mouth. I swam in darkness as the world around me faded and my heart lay still in my chest.

_Murato…I love you…_

* * *

It was dark.

So, so very dark.

Somewhere, I could hear someone watching a baseball game and calling the pitches. It sounded like the announcer said, "the Mariners" and "Ichiro." There must've been a television in the room. _The room._ _The change._

My eyes sprang open, but I had to clench them shut again. All I had seen was blinding white, and it felt like my senses were being bombarded.

"She's awake."

"Carlisle?" I called out, having heard his voice.

"Bella, Bella are you awake?"

I could smell him now, as well as three other scents I didn't recognize. The unfamiliarity put me on edge, and ignoring the blinding whiteness, I sprang to my feet, immediately into a defensive crouch. My eyes darted around the room, my body's movements having startled me further. Everything was startlingly different. It was like the world had snapped into focus and everything was a million times clearer. I couldn't help but stare at Carlisle's face. It was the only thing I seemed to recognize in the room, yet even he looked different. I focused hard on his face…his cheekbones seeming sharper, the color of his eyes and blonde of his hair more intense…his pale skin…I gasped, my observation of Carlisle spurring on my examination of myself.

My mind raced as I realized I didn't need the air that I had taken into my lungs when I had gasped. _It worked._ I lifted my hands in front of my eyes and stared. My skin was smooth as granite, almost as if the pores were gone, and my skin was paler than it had been when I was human. I turned my hands over, curling and releasing my fingers in awe. Everything was different yet the same.

"She's completely entranced by her hands. Typical newborn."

"Don't act like I can't hear you, Emmett!" I snapped. I swallowed nervously when a sudden burn flared in my throat again. My hands clutched at my neck. _No…no…the change is supposed to be done!_

"Poor thing…she must be starving."

"She better not think about attacking Emmett."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" I snarled, the burn in my throat intensifying and my body almost vibrating. I felt out of control and overwhelmed.

My head snapped towards the door when Emmett stepped through, followed by Esme and a blonde woman I could only assume was Rosalie.

"Careful," Carlisle whispered. "She's in shock."

"Am I changed?" I asked, eying the vampires who had just come in through the door.

"I wish she knew we aren't going to hurt her."

"Esme, I know you won't hurt me!" I frowned.

Her eyes widened in shock. How could she even say that to me? Carlisle, Emmett, and Rosalie all started to talk at the same time and it was hurting my head.

"STOP! You all need to talk one at a time!"

It was like I hadn't even spoken. Their voices all sounded again and I couldn't even focus on one of them. Suddenly, I felt like I was dreaming, but I was wide awake. I could see everything, but the memory wasn't mine. My hands were fumbling, trying to do…something to a body covered in blood. I gasped, and flew backwards, my back colliding with a wall. I saw his face. The green eyes that I loved were closed, blood covering his skin…but I would know those lips anywhere…the lips that looked cold and lifeless.

"NO!" I screamed, clutching at my hair.

"Bella-" Carlisle started, but I didn't let him finish.

"NO! Why…how…Murato…I saw him…"

"Bella, what are you talking about?"

"I saw it! Like, like I was there!" I wailed. They were all still talking at once and I wished that they would all shut up and let Carlisle do the talking. "My hands were fumbling with his clothes, and his body and face were covered in blood."

Rosalie gasped and my eyes shot to hers.

"She can see our thoughts. She's a mind reader."

"What?" I cried, "I'm no mind reader!"

"Bella…" Rosalie said slowly, "I didn't say that out loud."

"No…" I growled, backing further into the corner of the room, "I…no…that didn't happen…I…where's Murato? Where's Edward?"

"Oh dear…"

"Don't think, Esme!" I roared. "Tell me where he is!"

My eyes snapped to Emmett, whose mind was apparently chanting, "Don't think about it, don't think about it," over and over again. Rosalie had begun to recite Pi and Esme was now naming colors in Spanish. I crumbled to my knees when it was Carlisle's thoughts that hit me.

_Murato lying bloody on the ground._

_Alice biting his wrist._

_Murato's pale, unmoving body covered in blood._

_My body as I writhed and screamed in pain, calling and whimpering for Murato._

_Carlisle speaking with Esme, asking her, "how should we tell her?"_

"NO!" I howled. My heart no longer beat in my chest, but it felt like it was shattering. It couldn't be…rage began to flood into my system.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE HIM?" I roared, my vision going red as my anger took over. "YOU PROMISED! YOU SAID WE WOULD SAVE HIM! ALICE PROMISED ME!"

"Bella, Cigna…." Carlisle tried, taking a step forward.

"How could you condemn me to this life without him!" I snarled.

My instincts seemed to take over and I ran straight through the glass window to my right. I was briefly surprised when I found myself falling, but I landed on my feet, and as soon as they touched the earth below me, I ran. I could hear all of their voices and couldn't distinguish what was said out loud and what wasn't. I heard the faint ringing of a phone, but it only forced my legs to move faster. I didn't want them to catch up to me.

They didn't save him. My Murato was gone. A tearless sob tore from my throat as I ran through the trees, my body not feeling the least bit tired. Regardless, I came to a stop in a clearing and fell to my knees. I had no idea where I was now, or how far I had run. I wanted to observe my surroundings with my new vampire senses, and examine the way my body moved…but the only thing I felt, was the heavy ache in my chest. I slammed my first into the ground when I realized that my sobs came with no tears. I wanted the tears…I wanted to purge myself of this feeling.

"WHY?" I screamed. It seemed like the only good question to ask at the moment. My throat burned with what I was sure was thirst, but the all consuming pain in my chest burned more.

"Murato…" I whimpered. "I can't do this by myself. I can't…"

I flopped down my back in the grass, my chest heaving with the unnecessary breaths, but providing the foundation for the sobs that left my throat. Had it all been for nothing? This life mattered little to me if Murato was not here. My brain began to try and retrace my last moments as a human. Had Caccio killed Murato? Had Victoria? I closed my eyes and tried to remember what had happened.

_Laurent. The wall. My bones shattered. Murato, Victoria screeching…Caccio coming towards me. Carlisle above me…his teeth sinking into my flesh._

"_Do it, Carlisle."_

_Alice…Alice said to make me this way. How could she? She could condemn me to this life without Edward?_

_Wait…Alice…her hands fumbling, Edward's blood on her clothes…her teeth sinking into his flesh…it was her fault! She killed Murato! _

_Jasper and Carlisle telling her to stop…_

I sat up in the field immediately. It was all Alice's fault…she bit Murato even when Jasper, her mate, had told her to stop. She can see the future, yet she told Carlisle to change me anyway.

_She could never see Edward's future._

I gasped as the ache in my heart flared. Edward's future was never a part of her visions. All she had seen was blackness when she tried to look for him. She couldn't see him because he was dead! A sob tore from my throat. Murato was…dead. I lay back down, curling myself into a ball. I thought the Cullens were my friends. Alice had told me we were going to be the best of friends. What friend would kill the man that her friend loves? What people would promise to save Edward and me, and then not follow through on saving us both? I hugged my knees to my chest, mourning the fact that my tears no longer fell, and I could never shed them again for Murato.

My thoughts raced as I mourned for Murato. Was Caccio dead? If he was still alive I would have to beat him in finding Murato when he is reborn. Another thought clenched at my heart…if Murato was reborn, I would have to wait until he was at least the same age as I was when I was changed. I couldn't change him as soon as I found him, and I couldn't change him if he didn't remember. Another tearless sob and scream left my lips, as I realized that now, even though I was immortal, I would still have to fight for Murato. I would have to keep him from Caccio, and then I would have to fight to get Murato to remember who he was.

The fire in my throat flared and I was aware of yet another thing I now had against me. I was a vampire now, and whoever Murato was reborn as would be human. A human being made up of flesh…and blood. I lay back down in the field, curling myself up into a tiny ball. Just thinking about the memories I had seen and Rosalie's and Carlisle's…thoughts, my throat burned and I wanted nothing more than to drink every single drop of blood on the ground. Venom pooled in my mouth and I growled when I remembered Alice's teeth sinking into Murato's flesh and her drinking his blood. If only memories and images made me crave his blood so badly, how would I ever be able to face him in his next human form? Part of me wanted to go back to the Cullens to learn their ways of control around so much blood…but the other part of me growled. Not all of them had that control.

Time meant very little to me now, but I knew that on the other side of the clouds, the sun had to be setting soon. I lay there curled around myself just thinking and replaying the images through my head. My throat still burned, but the images of Murato's lifeless body kept me from moving. I replayed the images over and over again in my head, always coming to the same conclusions.

_Carlisle's voice shouting above my screams._

_Stop. No. Alice._

_Jasper's cries from somewhere in the room._

_Alice. Don't do it. Stop. No._

_Murato's choked cries as teeth sink into his skin._

_Alice. No._

_Alice's tiny body crouched over his form. Black eyes. Crimson red around her lips._

_Jasper and Carlisle telling her to stop._

_Stop. Stop. STOP._

_Murato's body, lifeless and unmoving. My green eyes…lost to me again._

_Alice bit him. Alice was certain. Alice did this. Alice. ALICE._

My mind screamed with revenge, but then I remembered…Alice could see the future. I growled, angry that she couldn't see Murato's, but surely now that I had run away from the Cullens, they would have her looking for my decisions. I would have to plan carefully. Find ways to keep the pixie out of my head and plans. Victoria was a shield…but Alice still saw the decoy vision that lured the male Cullens away from the house when Laurent and Caccio had taken me. Was it possible that I could do the same? I could think of multiple possibilities, keep her guessing as to what my true plan was…and then, when all was perfect, I could decide on my decoy plan, but act upon another.

_Wait…had she just seen me decide to do that?_

I growled and slammed my first into the ground. Throughout the years, not once did I ever feel like I was this out of control. Not once had despair ever wrecked me so badly. Murato and I had both always been human, but now…Caccio's curse still lingered and while I had cheated a mortal death, Murato had not.

"Was the curse not enough to keep us apart? You had to add in the fact that I will now crave his blood?" I shouted to the heavens.

I had always thought Murato and I were meant to be together, but now…now instead of Caccio, it could very well be me who kills him. My throat clenches as a tearless sob leaves me lips and sounds so loud in the middle of the forest. I would never be able to live with myself if I killed Murato. A thought hit me and my mind began to rave frantically, making sure I had all the steps of my change correct. What if it had been Caccio's intention to have me changed? To add a new element of torture to this curse he placed upon us so long ago? What if he wanted me to experience the eternal pain of craving Murato's blood forever?

I screamed and ran at vampire speed at a large fir tree. The need for a way to release all of the pent up rage and emotions I was feeling took over every sense of my body. The loud crack of the wood splintering was thunderous and echoed throughout the woods. The rage just seemed to build within me when my chest heaved with breaths that I didn't even need. I didn't want to be surrounded by lush greenery and pretty flowers in a meadow. The sight of the flowers made my dormant heart almost throb, almost beat again. However now it was nothing. Nothing but solid lump forever wedged in my chest. I fell to my knees. We were supposed to end up together this time.

"Her emotions are all over the place. Typical newborn."

My head snapped up and my eyes quickly circled the meadow. I couldn't see him yet…but Jasper was nearby, and he wasn't alone. I could hear the crunch of the earth beneath her shoes. I growled softly. The footsteps were light and hardly made a sound. It was Alice.

"Bella? Bella, can you hear me?"

I only snarled in response, not knowing whether or not I was answering her thoughts or her voice. Jasper growled in return, but I heard Alice whisper his name softly.

"Stay here, Jasper. Bella and I need to talk, woman to woman."

"I won't be far," I heard Jasper say. "I'll be watching."

It sounded like a warning, and I was sure he thought it purely for my benefit. Carlisle must've told them about my apparent ability. I didn't know what to make of it…but maybe, just maybe, I could use it to my advantage against the psychic. Her footsteps became louder and soon I saw Alice step into the meadow on the opposite side of me. I immediately jumped up into a crouch. Alice's soft sigh was loud and clear to my new vampire ears.

"Bella…can we…" Alice paused, "Bella, there's some things I need to tell you."

"What?" I spat, "How you promised me everything was going to be okay? How you promised me, that even though you couldn't see Edward's future that we'd still be together? How you told me we'd be _best_ friends?"

Alice cringed when I shouted the last part at her.

"What kind of best friend kills the man that her supposed best friend loves more than anything?"

I started to move closer to her, ignoring the growls I heard coming from Jasper somewhere in the distance.

"What kind of best friend drinks the blood, and enjoys the taste, when she is supposed to be saving a life?"

"Bella, you'll learn that we can hardly resist the-"

"Carlisle can do it!" I snarled. "Carlisle didn't drain my blood and relish in its taste! I heard him, Alice! He told you to stop! To wait! To not do it!"

The fact that she remained standing calm and unaggressive only made me more angry.

"_Jasper_ even told you not to do it! You disobeyed your own mate!"

Alice remained silent but nodded in agreement with my accusations. I let out a vicious snarl, not recognizing the sound.

"_You_ killed him, Alice! You drained him of his blood! You took too much! You didn't _save_ him!"

"I know, Bella." I realized Alice's mouth didn't move and it was her thoughts that I just heard. I hissed in anger.

"So you admit to killing him? To taking him away from me again?"

"I do," Alice thought, "There's no one else to blame for what happened to Edward but me."

"You…" I growled, "You of all people…you and Jasper. You both knew, said you understood my pain, how agonizing this must be for me…to be born again and again, never knowing if I'll find Murato before my twenty-second birthday, having to live with the memories of how I have loved him for almost six hundred years, and haven't been with him in over a hundred and fifty…you said you felt my pain, you knew it, you understood…"

I paused and clenched my fists.

"LIES!" I roared. "If you had _any_ idea of how much I have suffered, you would've saved Murato!"

My head snapped to the left. There were more footsteps approaching from that direction. I growled…it must be Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie. Another single pair was approaching from the right. _Jasper_. He might have been Belle's friend when we were both human, but right now, I knew he would defend his mate at all costs…and that made my old friend my new enemy.

"It's all your fault!" I roared and charged at her.

I knew I was moving faster than a human being, yet my vision seemed like it as in slow motion. I heard Jasper's roar of anger in response to my attacking his mate. I saw Alice say the word, "don't" out loud before she smiled and closed her eyes. She looked so calm and peaceful, like she was about to welcome the destruction I was about to bring upon her. I let out one last snarl as I reached my arm back to strike that smile right off her face.

* * *

_**APOV**_

"I saw, Carlisle. Let her go."

"Are you sure, Alice?" He asked, his voice unsteady on the other end of the line.

I closed my eyes and saw her in the meadow not far from our home.

"Positive. She needs to calm down a bit before we tell her everything."

"She's already completely overwhelmed and probably grieving now."

"Yes," I nodded, "let's not add to it. I'll call you when I see something more."

"All right…Where's Jasper?"

"Hunting of course. Not far from where I am."

"He would know best how to handle her, Alice. Maybe you should let him approach her. Not only with his background and power, but he shares a past with Belle."

I shook my head. "I think it's going to _have_ to be me, Carlisle. I'm not exactly sure why yet…but I just have that…feeling."

"Just be careful. Call us when you need us to come help you."

"Will do," I chirped.

I hung up and tucked my phone back in my pocket. Crouching on a pile of boulders, I waited, watching Bella's moves and trying to get a handle on her thought process. My eyes closed as I made the decision to go confront her myself. I sighed as I opened my eyes slowly. She was definitely a newborn. Her emotions would be going everywhere and they would so easily be tipped from one to the other. I wasn't sure what would happen when we finally would come face to face, but I knew it had to be done. I had promised her over and over, that I would save her and Edward and I knew what she had to be thinking.

I don't know how long had passed. My mate was off displaying his hunting skills to the forest and Bella was curled into a tiny ball on the grass. Her decision and her mind were flickering and changing so quickly that it was hard to get a hold on one thing. I gasped when one decision came through loud and clear. She blamed me. She had decided that everything was my fault.

"Jasper? Jasper, can you hear me?"

"Darlin'? What's going on?"

"How far are you from me and the meadow?"

"A little less than a mile from you, even closer to the meadow I'd guess."

"I need you stay there. It's time," I said.

"Alice, Darlin'…"

"You know what it will do to her, Jasper. You know how…volatile her emotions are right now. We can't overwhelm her."

I began my journey to the meadow, walking at a human pace. The meadow was in view of me now, and I saw Bella crumbled on the ground on the opposite side from where I was. She growled and sprang up into a crouch. She knew Jasper and I were near.

"Bella? Bella, can you hear me?" I asked in my head.

She snarled in response and I was amazed. She really could hear our thoughts. Jasper growled on instinct, sensing a threat to his mate. I knew he was close, but I didn't want him in Bella's line of sight. She might feel even more threatened than she already no doubt did.

"Stay here, Jasper. Bella and I need to talk, woman to woman," I said softly, but knew Bella could hear me. I wasn't in sight yet, but I could see her, and she was definitely on alert, her eyes swinging wildly around the meadow.

"I won't be far," Jasper said with a growl. I couldn't see him, but I could feel him. There must've been some amount of anger rolling off of Bella…because I certainly felt it coming from Jasper.

I walked slowly towards the meadow, carefully thinking about my decisions and watching how things would play out in my mind. When I stepped into the meadow, Bella snarled and was crouched low defensively. She was…well, she was stunning. I knew she hadn't even had a chance to see how the change had affected her, but even for a vampire, she was gorgeous. I had no doubt Rosalie was going to be a little intimidated when we finally all got to talk. I sighed, knowing what I had to do.

"Bella…can we…" I paused, "Bella, there's some things I need to tell you."

She immediately unloaded on me, snarling and vicious with her words. I cringed when she spat out the words, "best friends" like they disgusted her. I honestly couldn't blame her. I technically was the reason that she was so upset. I saw it all begin to play out in my mind. The calmer I remained, the more angry she would get. She was so angry she didn't hear Jasper make the phone call to Carlisle. Jasper was worried about my safety and wanted Carlisle and the others there now. There was no way Bella would get past seven of us. I continued my acceptance of all of her accusations. This was the way it had to happen in order for us all to move on.

"LIES!" Bella screamed. "If you had _any_ idea of how much I have suffered, you would've saved Murato!"

I watched as Bella's head snapped to the left and then to the right. She heard the others coming. She growled and bared her teeth.

"It's all your fault!"

As she ran at me, I saw it all play out in my mind. I whispered, "don't" when Jasper started racing towards us, knowing he would do anything to keep Bella from harming me. I closed my eyes and smiled. It was all working out.

A loud clap thundered in the air and I opened my eyes to see Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie skidding to a stop on the outer edge of the meadow to my right.

"Alice!" Jasper shouted, but halted at my side, confused to see me standing there.

"When will you guys ever learn, that you're not supposed to bet against me," I smiled smugly.

"Should we…stop them?" Jasper asked, completely baffled.

I smiled. "No…let them go. Consider this a fight that will lead to some amazing…making up for lost time sex."

Jasper chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "If you say so, Darlin'. I didn't believe Carlisle yesterday…but she really is amazing."

"She is…to have made it this far without ever giving up…She's probably the most amazing woman we'll ever meet."

Our family watched as the two vampires moved so quickly they barely registered whom they were fighting against. One angry because she was being kept from her goal of hurting me, while the other was fighting because he thought his maker was being attacked. Bella let out an angry snarl as she was slammed face first into a tree. She was so tiny compared to him.

"Who are you?" He snarled.

"Get off of me!" Bella roared and the pair went flying back.

They went flying back into the grass, clashing together like boulders, flipping and turning and grabbing at each other.

"Ten thousand on Bella," Emmett called from across the meadow.

"You're wrong," Jasper said, watching the fight carefully.

"You're both wrong…" I whispered with a smile.

There were two loud roars and the ground shook as Bella slammed him to the ground, pinning his body by sitting on his chest and pinning his arms and legs down with hers.

"Told you!" Emmett shouted.

"Wait for it…" I smiled.

"NO!" Bella screamed as her body went flying backwards.

Her back slammed into a tree, making a thunderous cracking sound through the woods. The panic was evident on her face as her eyes darted around the meadow, taking in the faces of our family, and that of the man on the ground.

"No, no, no…" Bella shook her head, and if she was human I was sure she would have been crying.

"Jasper," I said quietly, "Calm her down."

"Stop it!" Bella cried, her voice hysterical, "Stop it, Jasper!"

Bella was shaking so violently, and it seemed like Jasper's powers were having no affect on her. She still looked terrified and shocked.

"Don't hurt her," came a quiet, but confused voice.

"He's not," I said walking towards the middle of the meadow where the other newborn had jumped up to his feet and now stood. I placed a hand on his shoulder gently. "Jasper's trying to calm her down."

Of course, Jasper was calming all of us down, but that was beside the point.

"Bella?" I asked.

"What are you doing to me? He…you said…you said…" Bella stammered, her red eyes wide and frightened.

"You're a newborn, Bella," I said slowly, "Every emotion you feel is multiplied by a thousand now. There's a lot that we need to tell you."

I paused as Bella just stared silently in awe at the man standing next to me. I couldn't help but smile.

"Obviously, Bella…you know, Murato."

Bella's hand covered her mouth and she let out a dry sob. "How? I…I thought…"

"I know, Bella," Carlisle said, approaching slowly. "And I'm sorry. There's a lot to explain…and there's a lot we couldn't tell you until we knew Edward had survived the change."

"I…I…" Bella stammered.

"Jasper, calm her down, man…" Emmett muttered.

Rosalie smacked him on the head. "Leave him alone."

"Bella," I started, "Do you think we can talk? Will you let us explain everything that happened?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but Edward spoke before she could. My eyes went wide, not having seen this happening.

"Bella?" He asked quietly, his voice soft and timid.

Bella let out a sob, covering her mouth and closing her eyes, shaking her head back and forth. To everyone else, it looked like Bella was overcome with joy…but I knew better. Murato never called her Bella.

"Bella," He asked again, his red eyes looking at her curiously, "Do I know you?"

**Well? Yes? No? Okay…I'm going to have to plead that you not be angry with me. Edward's alive! That should make you all happy right? Maybe? **

**Which brings me to my other reason for begging that you not be mad. I'm going to be traveling like mad until June 15****th****. I will try to write by hand here and there, but I won't have another chapter out until then. It totally bums me out, but hey, Edward and Bella are both vamps now…that can only lead to good things right? Right. :-D**

**And thank you in advance for anyone who voted for "Remember Me" in the Sunflower Awards. I appreciate it a lot. Maybe we won one. :-) Let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? Update after June 15****th****! **


	15. Ch 14: I'll Know You

**Disclaimer: Not mine…Just playing with SM's characters…**

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading & reviewing! Friends, extra special thanks to those of your who voted in the Sunflower Awards! "Remember Me" won Best Story –Vampire! Thank you so much! I'm still shocked :-)**

**Back from my traveling, and I must say, Harry Potter World was awesome, I did both Disney World AND Disneyland, and met a pro-baseball player. Crazy trip, but I'm back now. :-D**

**Special thanks to my beta eternally_addicted! Love ya! :-D**

_**I'll know you when I see you**_

_**And I'll know before I touch your skin**_

_**I'll see it in your eyes**_

_**My whole life will be there**_

_**And I'll find you at the right time**_

_**And I'll stay awake because I don't want to miss it**_

_**You might not even stop and see me standing there**_

_**But I'll know you**_

_**-Sons of Sylvia, "I'll Know You" **_

Chapter 15: I'll Know You

_**EPOV**_

"Jasper, now he's not moving! What's happening?"

"Darlin'…I…I don't know. I…I'm not getting anything from him."

"I still can't see him! Something went wrong, Jasper! I…I don't know what happened!"

"Can you still see Bella?"

"It's all…murky."

"Don't worry, Darlin'. It will work out…it has to."

I heard their voices, the man, Jasper, more familiar than the woman. I didn't know where I was, but I could hear them. All I saw was blackness, and I didn't dare try to escape it. When I had just tried it, a burning so intense flowed through my entire body, burning me from the inside. I immediately retreated to the blackness after screaming my throat raw. The blackness was safe…it didn't hurt me.

"I'm going to call Carlisle and see how Bella is doing," the girl said. "I think you'll be all right with him, Jasper."

I could hear them, but I felt nothing. My mind was the only thing that seemed…alive. I heard a sigh from my right, but didn't dare leave the darkness. It was so comforting.

"Edward."

Edward? Was that my name?

Yes…Edward sounded familiar…

Edward…Masen?

Yes…Edward Masen.

"You have to…you have to come out of this, man," I heard Jasper say. His voice sounded so familiar and…I had heard that Southern accent before. My mind had begun to play images in the darkness. Thankfully, I felt nothing else.

"_Ride, Robert!"_

"_Go. Home. I won't have Belle lose everyone that she loves."_

"_So help me, Robert, if you don't go right now, I'll shoot you myself."_

_I saw him…blond hair, blue eyes…a Confederate soldier uniform covered in blood._

"_You…you take care, Jasper."_

I knew him.

This Jasper that spoke to me as I lingered in the blackness. I knew him…but during the Civil War? Images flickered in my mind, and I was met with a pair of chocolate brown eyes.

"_Will you marry me now, Robert? Here in front of God?"_

_Her brown eyes looking up at me, her skin looking ethereal in the moonlight as we stood in the middle of a fragrant meadow. _

"_Belle?" I asked._

"_I don't want to wait for you to return to be yours. I've always been yours Robert Masen. Even if it's just God, you, and myself that know…I want to be Belle Masen."_

Robert Masen…I had been Robert Masen too. I wanted to ask Jasper, wanted to make sure I was remembering real things, but when I tried to leave the blackness, the flames flared around my body and I stayed where I was.

"Come on, Edward. You have to give us a sign."

* * *

"Carlisle, it's been almost two days. He hasn't made a sound or a movement since the first day. Shouldn't he be…you know, screaming in pain and crying out?" I heard the girl ask.

Jasper only ever called her, "Darlin'" and I had no idea what her name could really be. I felt a connection to her when she was near. I didn't know why though.

"I don't know. With everything Edward and Bella have been through, I don't know if the curse somehow is affecting him or what. His heart is still beating, albeit faintly, so we know he's alive," I heard this new man Carlisle say.

Carlisle. Carlisle. The same feeling had returned as it had when I had heard Jasper's voice. I knew him.

"_Love conquers all, Anthony…never forget that."_

_Blonde hair, blue eyes, a kind, compassionate smile…he is dressed in what appears to be his best clothes._

"_Are you ready, Anthony?"_

_I feel myself nodding, as I look__down to fiddle with the cuffs of my jacket. I too am dressed in a formal suit. _

"_It's time," Carlisle says as a clock chimes._

_I gasp softly as she comes around the corner. Her ivory dress nearly matches the color of her smooth skin, her red hair is pulled beneath her veil, and through her lace veil, I see her brown eyes, brown eyes that I love, shimmering with moisture in the candlelight. _

"_Anthony and Marie," Carlisle smiles, "It is with great happiness that I stand here before you today."_

I had also been a man named Anthony…married to a woman named Marie…a woman who had the same brown eyes as Belle.

"_I love you, Anthony."_

"_I love you Marie. Forever."_

"_Forever."_

* * *

"Where are the others?" the girl asked.

"Esme has them staying in the cottage until we can figure things out. This…everything with Edward and Bella…it's unlike anything I have ever heard of. I mean, sure if we exist, then curses and reincarnation are certainly possible as well, but…I'm just speechless."

"I know what you mean," the girl said, "Jasper is baffled, but so interested. I know he hasn't said it, but I know he was really looking forward to the change working. I know he wants to know more about his human life."

"I think you, Jasper, and I all want that, my dear."

"I know…I never thought I'd have the opportunity, Carlisle."

"Do you see anything new?" Carlisle asks.

I heard a heavy female sigh. "No…I still can't see Edward."

After some time, Carlisle spoke again.

"I've never seen anything like this," I heard Carlisle say. "He hasn't moved at all?"

"Not since the first day," I heard the girl answer. "I see Bella waking up tomorrow."

"It's been…so hard. She asked about Murato constantly. I've been at a loss as to what to tell her."

Murato…Murato…I knew that name too. I felt some of the fire that I knew must be licking at my body begin to creep through the darkness. I gave up listening to Carlisle and the girl and let the dark take me.

* * *

"_Murato…I'm…I'm with child."_

"_Are you…are you certain?" I ask, excitement clear in my voice._

_I watch as she looks up at me and nods. The brown eyes that I know so well meet mine, as they shimmer with tears of joy. The look of love in her eyes is embedded deep within me, a part of me and of my soul. _

"_I am…I have missed three of my monthly bleeds."_

"_Cigna!" I cry, sweeping her up in my arms._

_My lips press against hers passionately and her hands curl themselves into my hair. _

Even in the blackness, I felt the warmth…the love that was shared between me and this girl with the brown eyes. A girl I had apparently adored throughout various past lives. It feels so real. I'm not sure how much time has passed as images of my brown eyed girl and I in various passionate embraces flickered before me. The images changed, and now I am back in the forest. I was fighting a man who looked like a priest. He was after my brown eyed girl and I stabbed him through the chest with his own sword.

"_A curse," the priest coughed, "On you both. So determined to be together…doomed to be apart for eternity."_

"_What are you talking about?" I growl. Blood drips from his mouth as he coughs._

"_You and anyone who loved you…punished…doomed to never rest. Your souls shall be brought back again and again…never to find peace. You will long for each other, while one of you forgets, the other will remember everything. You will suffer…doomed to repeat the same fate should you find each other…over and over again for all eternity…"_

"_Curses can be broken," I challenge._

"_Cheat a mortal death, young king, and you will break the curse."_

_The priest laughed and coughed, choking on his own blood. "You cannot cheat death. You are all…doomed…"_

I leave the blackness unwanted, and screamed out.

"You lie!"

I was certain that my body was burning on some sort of spit, roasting above a fire and at the same time, having acid flowing through my veins, all going straight towards my heart.

"Edward? Edward?" I heard the female at my side.

"I don't believe you!" I roared.

The images changed and I let out an agonized wail as I watched a servant girl plunge a blade into the chest of my love. Another painful cry left my mouth as I felt like I was falling to my knees and pulling my brown eyed girl into my lap. Her eyes were filled with nothing but tears and love. The burning in my body flared and my heart was beating rapidly in my chest.

"I'm so sorry, my love," I cried and gasped, "I'm so sorry."

"Edward? Edward? It's Jasper, can you hear me?"

I let out a sob, ignoring Jasper's question. All I could see was my lover dying in my arms, blood flowing from her chest.

"_I'll find you," she coughs._

"What if you don't remember me?" I whimpered.

"_I'll find you," she gasps, her breaths coming rapidly._

"Don't leave me," I cried.

"Edward, we're not going anywhere. Alice and I are right here," I heard Jasper on my right. "The change is almost over."

"Please…my love…" I whimpered, holding the brown eyed girl in my arms. The rapid beating of my heart stopped and everything in my body seemed to freeze.

"My love? Is he talking about…?" I heard the female, now named Alice, trail off.

"I don't know," Jasper whispered.

"_Just…remember…me…"_

"CIGNA!" I screamed, breaking out of the darkness.

My body lurched upward and I flew off the bed, amazingly, landing on my feet. I scrambled backwards, my back hitting a wall as my eyes frantically searched around me. The brown eyed girl was gone and the world looked so…different. My eyes initially passed over the two figures I saw standing stone still on the opposite side of the room, but they immediately shot back to the blond man crouching defensively in front of a small female with black hair. On instinct, I crouched down and a snarl left my throat, which was burning and still feeling like it was on fire.

"My powers don't work on him," I heard the blond male say, and his voice registered in my head.

"Jasper…" I growled, "What is this hell?"

"He remembers you," The female said with a near giddy squeal.

"Darlin'…" Jasper hissed.

"Who are you? What's going on? Where…what…" I began to stammer, my senses all suddenly felt like they were in overdrive.

My sight seemed to have been magnified, I could hear the sounds of an ambulance siren somewhere, and my body felt different…agile and…unbreakable. I took in a deep breath of air and found to my surprise, that my lungs didn't need it.

"What is this? Am I dead?" I growled, "What have you done to me, Jasper?"

The black haired girl stepped forward slowly. I heard Jasper growl as she did so, and I growled in return.

"Boys, boys," The girl smiled. "Please. Let's act civil here."

My eyes darted back and forth between Jasper and the girl. I felt a strong pull towards her and I wasn't sure why. It wasn't an…attraction per se, but I felt like I was…bonded to her. Like she was definitely someone important to me.

"Who are you?" I asked. Her skin was deathly pale, and seemed to look even more so due to her black hair and dark clothes. Her eye color was what confused me. They were golden amber…a color I had never seen before.

"_Good morning, Dr. Masen."_

_I fidgeted, put off by her outgoing smile. "Um…good morning, Mary."_

"_Call me Alice."_

"Alice…" I said slowly, "Mary Alice Whitlock."

A smile spread across her face. "Good, Edward! Oh! Can I call you Edward or would you rather I called you Murato?"

"Who do you know me as?" I asked.

"I know you as Edward Masen."

"But Jasper knows me as Robert?" I asked, my brows furrowed.

"I do," Jasper answered, "but I know you as Edward also."

"Oh…then I guess you should call me Edward."

"All right," Alice said smiling, "Edward, well…Jasper and I have a lot that we need to tell you. Do you think that would be all right?"

"My throat is burning," I nearly whimpered.

"I know," Jasper said, "That's part of what we need to discuss."

"But first," Alice clapped, "Let's get you some clothes. I am more than a little certain that you shouldn't be running around in your boxer briefs later."

I looked down, and found it odd that my cheeks didn't heat when I realized I was standing in front of two other adults in just my underwear.

"You can borrow something from Jasper," Alice said, quickly distracting me from my thoughts.

In a few short minutes, I found myself in a blue v-neck shirt and a pair of black pants. Alice said she was texting someone and would be with Jasper and me in a moment. We were sitting in a living room that seemed vaguely familiar to me. I felt a sense of warmth and familiarity with Alice, and I wasn't sure why. It confused me, as did the burning in my throat and my missing blush.

Another realization hit me and I blurted it out. "I don't have a heartbeat!"

Alice chuckled softly as she perched herself on the arm of Jasper's chair. She stopped immediately when she saw the frown on my face.

"Sorry…" She said quickly, "I just…well, I can't see how you are going to react to certain things, Edward."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my frown giving way to confusion.

"Edward," Jasper said slowly, "What do you remember about us? What is the last thing you remember?"

My brow furrowed as I tried to think back.

_Fire. Burning. Screams. Teeth. Blood and brown eyes…_

"My brown eyed girl…" I murmured softly, trying to remember more. It's all hazy and seemed like we were surrounded by a room full of mirrors.

"That's Bella," Alice said, a happy tone to her voice. "Do you remember anything else about her?"

I tried to think back, but I kept seeing the same pair of brown eyes, eyes that I had known as Robert, Anthony, and Murato. Something was prickling at the back of my mind telling me that I had known them in another life as well. All I could see were her eyes, so expressive and deep.

"Bella…" I whispered to myself. I tried to conjure up her face but all I saw were her eyes again. My chest ached where my heart should've been beating. There were tears in her eyes as I heard her soft voice whimper, "Edward" from across the room. I shook my head in frustration.

"Darlin', I think we need to talk to Edward about…you know," Jasper jerked his head.

Alice opened her mouth to answer, but I cut her off.

"You bit me," I said, a dim memory of Alice biting my arm flitted along the edges of my memory. A sense of panic began to build up in me.

"That was when the burning started! That was when I locked myself up in the blackness! I didn't want to feel the pain! What did you do to me?"

I found that during my rant, I had stood and pressed myself back into the stone fireplace. Alice and Jasper didn't move, but Alice spoke slowly.

"Edward…can you think of a reason why I might've bitten you?"

My brow scrunched together in thought, and I heard the priest from the woods and his voice in my ear.

"_Cheat a mortal death, young king, and you will break the curse."_

"I was cursed…" I said slowly, "A long time ago…my brown eyed girl and I were cursed."

Alice and Jasper both nodded silently, waiting for me to continue.

"Cheat a mortal death…" I mumbled, my eyes closed trying to see if I could remember anything else. I saw a flame haired woman with startling red eyes and a blonde man with long hair who resembled the priest whose lips mumbled the curse. He too had blazing red eyes. Their teeth sank into my flesh and they licked blood that seeped from my wounds. I gasped as the word slammed to the front of my mind.

"Vampires."

Alice had a wide smile on her face and Jasper nodded slowly. Vampires were real…in my memories I saw my painful acceptance of that fact.

"Cheat a mortal death…" I repeated again, "You made me immortal…you bit me, Alice. Changed me to be like…like you two."

Alice nodded and stood, approaching me cautiously. "That's why you feel that bond between us now, Edward. It's not a sort of affection of anything…maybe a sense of loyalty if you will, a connection. I am your maker."

"And…and my throat burns because…"I swallowed heavily, "Because I'm hungry."

I closed my eyes and my body shuddered at the thought of drinking human blood.

"There is another way, Edward," Jasper said suddenly, almost as if he read my thoughts, "Do you see the color of my eyes? Of Alice's eyes?"

I looked and saw they were a golden amber color. They weren't blood read like the vampires who had fed on my body in my memories. I nodded in answer to Jasper's questions.

"We don't feed on humans, Edward," Jasper said, "We drink the blood of animals. Not a lot of our kind know that this diet, if you will, is possible. We are not at our strongest, but it is a way to live without taking the lives of human beings. We are careful in our hunting, and it's not so different from a human being slaughtering a cow or pig for their own food."

I found the thought of human food made me feel disgusted, and my throat still felt like it was on fire. My hand seemed to come up and clutch at my throat on its own. Alice smiled sympathetically at me.

"Jazzy, let's take him to hunt. We can explain about everyone else when we come back."

I watched as Jasper shot Alice a skeptical look. "Are you certain?"

"Well, he needs to hunt," Alice said shortly. The two stared at each other for a while, and just when I was about to interrupt, Jasper nodded.

"Come on, Edward. There's a lot you need to learn still about being a vampire, but you'll find that your instincts will take over and it won't be as hard as you think it might be right now."

A thought flickered into my head. "There aren't any humans around are there?"

Alice shook her head. "Our property is far on the outskirts of town. No humans come out here."

"Your…property?" I asked. Was that why this place looked so familiar?

Alice nodded. "You lived here as a human, Edward. Carlisle and Esme looked after you. We have two cottages on the Cullen property. This is one of them."

I glanced around slowly. There was nothing that really jumped out at me that gave me any real clues as to who I was as Edward Masen, the human being.

"Come," Jasper said, "We can answer all of your questions after we get something in your stomach."

I nearly growled at the thought and Jasper chuckled. "You're going to be something, Edward."

Alice moved slowly towards the door and opened it carefully. Jasper remained in front of me, almost as if he was protecting me from something that lay outside the door. Or trying to stop me from leaving. When I thought about it, I found that I didn't want to leave. Something in me, perhaps the bond to my maker, had me wanting to stay close. I took a deep breath of the air that came in through the door. Earth, rain, dirt...I could smell everything.

"Come on," Alice tilted her head, walking out the door.

I followed her and Jasper slowly, and found both of them standing on either side of me on the front porch. The sun wasn't shining and the sky was grey, but all of the details were magnified and brilliant. I could see every blade of grass, every leaf, every piece of bark on the surrounding trees…it was overwhelming.

"It's a lot to take in. Each and every one of your senses have been heightened," Jasper said, "And your body…you'll find that it has abilities you've only read about in comic books."

My brows furrowed as I lifted my hand in front of my face and flexed my fingers open and closed, watching the more defined muscles of my forearm flex and move.

"You're a newborn, Edward, which means you are at your most powerful and your body draws strength from your human blood that still lingers in your tissues. It is not impossible to rein in your strength, but it will take some getting used to," Jasper explained.

Suddenly, my ears picked up the sound of multiple feet pounding against the earth. Jasper and Alice both seemed to hear it too. I turned to look at them both eagerly. Beneath the pounding of feet, I heard what sounded like a whooshing sound…my throat growled. It was the sound of multiple heartbeats.

"Very good, Edward," Alice commented. "Jazzy, he picked up on the herd of deer to the east."

"Edward, we're going to run now," Jasper grinned, "See if you can keep up with Alice and me. Ready?"

I nodded, hearing the hoofs of what I now knew to be deer having come to a stop.

"Let's go!"

To human eyes, I supposed it would have looked like Jasper and Alice took off like bullets, but to my new eyes, I saw them and quickly caught up, finding a place between them.

"You're fast, Edward," Jasper commented as we flew through the trees. I could hear the whooshing sound of heartbeats more prominently now and I growled, the scent of blood meeting my nose.

"That's it, Edward. Let instinct take over."

I noticed Alice fell behind, but I didn't have time to question it. A small clearing came into view, full of a herd of deer, and my vision slowly turned to red.

"Go get 'em, Edward," I heard Jasper say, and barely noticed when he too fell away.

My legs pushed with strength I didn't recognize, and I pounced on a large buck. My arms crushed his body to me in a second and my teeth were sinking into his skin before the animal could even let out a cry. Warm liquid flooded into my mouth and I sucked greedily, letting it coat and soothe the ache in my throat. When no more passed my lips, I dropped the limp mass from my arms and let my eyes scan the clearing. It seemed that the rest of the herd were just registering what was going on. I sprang at a doe close to me and drained her even quicker than the buck. I had my fill of four of the herd before the rest had scattered. My chest was heaving with unnecessary breaths and I could feel blood dripping down my chin. My tongue peaked out and I licked what I could greedily from my lips.

I saw Jasper standing near the edge of a clearing underneath a tree. He clapped slowly.

"Well done, Edward."

"More," I growled, the ache in my throat better, but still present.

Jasper nodded as the wind brought a new scent to my attention. It made my stomach rumbled and my throat growl. It smelled so much better than the deer.

"What do you smell, Edward?" Jasper smiled, "What do you hear?"

"Something in the trees," I growled.

"A mountain lion," Jasper nodded, "Just there to the west. He was stalking the same herd of deer."

I crouched and took a deep breath, letting my instincts take over as Jasper had said. I took off when I heard the lion beginning to move in the opposite direction. The faint echo of Jasper's laugh and encouraging words were behind me as I took off after the beast whose blood smelled so divine. As I ran, I could faintly hear Alice and Jasper talking. Alice was wondering if Jasper was nearby, and wanted him to stay that way. I didn't dwell on their conversation as the mountain lion came into view. I had it cornered against a steep embankment. The beast couldn't climb up and away from me. It hissed, baring its long teeth. I growled loudly in response, crouching low…this animal was no match for me. The mountain lion hissed and swiped at the air with a massive paw, but before it could blink, I was on it. The sound of bones snapping and my teeth sinking into the flesh of the animal were like heaven and I greedily sucked the mountain lion dry, this blood tasting so much better than the deer's blood. I threw the drained carcass to the ground and glanced around where I was. I saw neither Jasper nor Alice. Licking the last remnants of blood from my lips, I started to head back to where I had last seen Jasper and Alice.

That was when I heard it. A female voice that I didn't know…and she was angry, yelling at Alice. I started to run towards the sound of their voices. My maker was in danger, everything in my body was telling me so. As I ran, a new smell hit my senses…a deep, sensual, and sweet smell that I had never smelt before. I almost groaned as I ran faster. It made me feel hungry…but not for food. I could see Alice now through the trees, and I could hear this new voice more clearly.

"LIES!" she screamed. "If you had _any_ idea of how much I have suffered, you would've saved Murato!"

I could barely make out the head of mahogany colored hair standing in front of Alice. I saw the female's head snap to the left and then straight towards me. She quickly looked away and growled, her gaze focusing back on Alice. I picked up my speed. This female was going to attack Alice and Jasper was nowhere nearby.

"It's all your fault!" she screamed, before running at Alice, arm raised ready to strike.

I burst through the clearing and before I knew it, my body had slammed into the female's, sending us both flying into the grass of the clearing. It felt like my other senses were taking over, and I growled and snarled as the female shoved me off her body, only to turn over and lunge at me. I staggered slightly from the force of her hit, but quickly retaliated with a block of my own, sending her small frame flying backwards. She snarled as she came at me again, teeth bared and snapping at me. I growled in return, knocking her hands away that were so determined the lock themselves around me.

As she lunged at me, I spun at the last minute and let her pass me. I whirled around and was behind her in a split second, slamming her face first into a tree. The loud crack from the splintering wood around us couldn't even distract me from the fight. She snarled and struggled angrily.

"Who are you?" I snarled back, wanting to know who this woman was who was attacking Alice.

"Get off of me!" She roared, pushing off with strength I wasn't prepared for and we went flying backwards into the middle of the open clearing again.

We flipped and rolled, both fighting for dominance and both unwilling to stop. Somehow she flipped us so we were face to face and I snarled angrily when I found that I was pinned beneath her, my back slamming into the earth below me and her strong limbs holding me. I sucked in a deep breath that I didn't need and finally took the time to look at the female.

Her ruby red eyes went wide as she stared back at me. There was something so familiar about her features…the slope of her nose, the fuller bottom lip of her mouth, the heart shaped face…they were almost of that of my brown eyed girl, but more defined and sharper. The female threw herself off of me, her back slamming into a tree.

"NO!"

I was confused by her reaction and the wide eyed, terrified look on her face. Her eyes darted around the meadow and I turned to see Alice and Jasper standing behind us.

"No, no, no…" The female mumbled, shaking her head back and forth. I almost thought that she was crying.

"Jasper," I heard Alice say quietly, "Calm her down."

I felt nothing, and was confused by what Alice was talking about, but the female only seemed to get more upset.

"Stop it!" She cried, her voice hysterical, "Stop it, Jasper!"

I jumped up to my feet. The poor girl looked frantic and terrified.

"Don't hurt her," I said quietly, confused by her looks and by what was going on. Sure she tried to attack Alice, but surely she couldn't have been…bad. She looked like my brown eyed girl, but at the same time, she wasn't.

"He's not," Alice said from behind me, soon coming to stand by my side and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Jasper is trying to calm her down."

I was still confused by what Alice meant by Jasper calming the girl down. He wasn't even saying anything to her.

"Bella?" Alice said cautiously.

_Bella. _Her name is Bella. _Isabel. Belle. Bella. _My eyes gazed at her again, trying to take in everything about her. She still looked so frightened and panicked as she stared wide eyed at Alice, wanting to know what was going on.

"You're a newborn, Bella," Alice said slowly, "Every emotion you feel is multiplied by a thousand now. There's a lot that we need to tell you."

I frowned at that. There was a lot that Alice and Jasper needed to still tell _me. _My senses picked up the scent of four other vampires, but Jasper and Alice weren't reacting, and I guessed that one of them was Carlisle. Alice and Jasper didn't seem worried though, so I didn't take my eyes off the red eyed female.

"Obviously, Bella…you know, Murato," Alice said, gesturing to me.

_Murato._ Yes…that had been my name. Was she…was this female really Cigna? Her eyes looked so different and weren't the brown that I had remembered throughout numerous lives. Bella let out a dry sob and covered her mouth with her hand, stuttering over her words again. I looked to my right when I heard someone else approaching, but even his appearance couldn't completely distract me from my love. Carlisle Cullen looked as he had in my memories, and after he spoke, Bella looked ever more frantic and I was afraid she was going to run at any moment. The other vampires began to speak and I sighed. I had to know why she looked like my brown eyed girl, and I had to know if she was really the one I saw in my mind.

"Bella?" I asked quietly. My soft voice seemed to silence everyone else and Bella let out another sob, almost as if my speaking her name had caused her pain.

I swallowed heavily and tried again. "Bella? Do I know you?"

"You don't…he doesn't…" Bella stuttered, her chest began to heave with dry sobs.

"Jasper," I heard Carlisle say, "Calm her down."

"He doesn't remember me!" Bella wailed, falling to her knees.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly, moving closer to her, but stopping myself. I was so confused by my thoughts and memories clashing with the girl I saw kneeling before me.

"It's her eyes," I said quietly, "They're not the eyes I know. She…she's different."

"Edward…" Carlisle started, but Alice cut him off.

"Let him speak, Carlisle."

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"Marie's eyes…Carlisle, they were brown…deeper than brown. Like rich coffee mixed together with the gold of honey. Belle's were the same, Jasper," I whimpered, confused and unsure why the spot where my heart now lay dormant seemed to be throbbing. "And Cigna…the earliest memories I have…her eyes were the same too."

"Do you not remember Bella when she was a human?" Carlisle asked.

"He remembers, he remembers…" Bella repeated to herself softly.

I tried to picture my last human memories, but they were fuzzy. I could feel the fire in my veins, almost as if the change was happening again as I looked across the room full of broken mirrors in my memory. I gasped. There…there across the room, I saw the pair of brown eyes that I had loved so much.

"Bella…" I whispered, "Bella's eyes were the same."

I looked at the shaking figure on the ground. My chest ached, and my mind warred with itself as I gazed into the pair of blood red eyes.

"This…I…" I turned and looked at Alice, "This cannot be my love?"

"Edward," Alice smiled, "Why don't you ask Bella a question? Ask her about Cigna and Murato."

Bella whimpered and covered her ears. I frowned in response.

"Please…" She whispered, "You all are thinking so much…it's so loud…"

"That's a good idea, Emmett," Alice said suddenly.

I turned to see her smiling at a large man I vaguely recalled from my human memories, Carlisle's wife, Esme, and a blonde woman I didn't recognize.

"Emmett, Esme, and Rosalie are going to give Bella some space," Alice continued, "They'll be running around the perimeter."

As the three vampires vanished into the trees, Bella spoke again.

"I can't hear him."

"Can't hear who?" Carlisle asked.

"Mura…Edward," Bella's voice broke as she said my name.

My brows furrowed in confusion.

"My powers don't seem to affect him either," Jasper added.

"I still can't see him," Alice sighed.

"What does that all mean?" I asked, frustrated at being left out of the loop.

Carlisle sighed, "While we have other things to discuss, and I'm not sure I can answer that for you, I think it means that you have a power."

"A power?" I said.

"A power," Carlisle nodded, "Some vampires, when they cross over from their human lives, they develop an added power. Usually a heightened sense from their human lives. You were a very private person in your human life, Edward. You didn't let anyone else's opinions sway your own, you were calm and level headed, unaffected by the emotions of your patients…I think you might have developed some sort of shielding power."

"A shielding power?" I asked, skeptical, "Like I'm a…shield?"

"It's a theory," Carlisle shrugged, "We can talk about it more later. I believe we have more pressing things to discuss."

I turned my gaze back to Bella and found that she was now standing, her fingers tugging at each other.

"Ask her something, Edward," Alice said quietly. "Something you remember, that only she could possibly know."

I gazed at the woman who stood in front of me. Her deep, red eyes were so vibrant against her pale skin. I stared at them, trying to picture them as a creamy chocolate brown instead. I swallowed heavily before I spoke, and a crystal clear vision entered my head.

"Tell me about the day we met."

Bella's eyes went wide and her body had begun to tremble again.

"It…it was in a meadow…"

I listened as Bella described in absolute clarity the images I saw in my head. How Cigna and Murato met in a meadow, how Cigna did not like him at first, how Murato had followed her brother, how they fell in love…it was a beautiful story, but I needed more detail.

"Tell me more," I said, "Tell me about…our wedding night."

I knew those were intimate thoughts and memories, and if she could describe it as I remembered it, it would certainly help in convincing me she was who she said she was. I watched as Bella swallowed heavily, her body still shaking.

"We…we were in your…um, _our _bed chamber. You…you ordered the…the witnesses to leave. You didn't want anyone else to…to see."

With each word she spoke, the images flickered in my mind: Her long brown hair splayed across the pillows, her brown eyes filled with so much love and adoration gazing up at me, the feel of her soft and warm body beneath mine, her breathy whimpers that gave way to throaty moans, the bite of her nails in the skin of my back and shoulders, and they way her lips pressed against my sweaty skin as I buried my face against her neck, chanting her name softly.

"You were Cigna," I said quietly.

"And you were Murato," Bella answered back just as softly.

"So…the curse was real? We lived all those lives? The visions I saw, they're memories of…of past lives?"

Bella nodded silently.

"And Carlisle and Jasper? I…we knew them in their human lives? Everything I remember about those lifetimes really happened?"

"They did," Bella whispered.

I could feel something changing inside of me. It was like everything was locking together, my body and my brain, and I was now teetering of the edge of being complete. My eyes gazed into the blood red eyes of Bella, the woman who every fiber of my body told me was Cigna, yet my mind couldn't register the color of her eyes. I closed my eyes and shook my head. Her eyes were filled with a love I had known, but at the same time they were filled with so much pain.

"Her eyes…" I said mournfully, "They…they aren't brown..."

It was Cigna's eyes. If I could just see them, truly see them, I would know that it was her.

"Edward," Carlisle said slowly, "I think Rosalie has something that can help."

Carlisle stepped forward and stood between Bella and me. He looked at me and gave me a small smile. I noticed Jasper had not come closer, and that Alice remained slightly behind me with her hand still on my shoulder. Rosalie appeared in the field suddenly, handing Carlisle something small and compact before disappearing into the trees again. Carlisle approached me slowly and held the object out to me. I saw that it was a small mirror.

"Take a look at your own reflection, Edward," He said slowly.

I took the mirror from him and gradually brought the mirror up to my face. Part of me was almost terrified to see what would be reflected back at me. Would it be nothing like all the vampire tales of old said? Was I hideous beyond recognition? I gasped loudly when I saw the pale face and startling red eyes staring back at me.

"All newborns have red eyes, Edward," Carlisle said, "We don't retain our human eye color. You and Bella still have red eyes because some of your human blood is still in your system. My family, we have golden eyes because we choose to feed on the blood of animals, just as you have with Jasper and Alice earlier today. In time, the red will fade."

"My eyes used to be green…" I trailed off, still staring in awe at my new reflection.

"And Bella's used to be brown," Alice added from my side.

I turned to look at Bella again. She was standing, looking almost as if she was going to bolt, her fingers pulling and tugging at each other, and her teeth gnawing away on the skin of her lower lip…all were mannerisms I recognized. Her wide, red eyes met mine…and then I felt it. The look of hope and love and even pain in her eyes fused all the pieces of me together, and I saw her.

"Cigna…" I breathed, staring at her in awe. "You're here? You're really here?"

She let out a tearless sob. "Murato?"

I walked towards her, slowly gaining speed until I was right in front of her. Her height put her at the perfect level, the top of her head coming to rest right under my chin. She looked up at me as I looked down, neither of us touching the other.

"Do you remember?" She asked, her entire body trembling.

I raised both hands to cup her cheeks, but my mind and dormant heart seemed overcome with emotions and I collapsed to my knees, my arms wrapping around her waist and I buried my face into her stomach instead.

"Cigna…Cigna…"I murmured, "You found me."

"Murato…" Cigna cried softly, her hand slowly running through my hair. I felt the familiar spark as her hand dragged through the stands and I knew. My love had finally found me.

I felt her body shift as she fell to her knees as well, and I held her tightly in my arms, her own wrapping around my neck as we came face to face. A path of fire burned my skin as her fingertip traced over the skin of my face, her eyes following the path of her finger, taking in all of my features. I took the time to look at her as well. Cigna had never looked more beautiful, and my eyes felt almost as if they had been blind up until this moment.

"You remember?" She asked again, her eyes meeting mine.

"I do, Cigna," I murmured, "The curse has been lifted. We cheated a mortal death, Carlisle and Alice have made us immortal. I remember everything."

"Every lifetime?" Cigna questioned.

I nodded. "Every lifetime. Even the ones where we weren't together."

Cigna whimpered. "It worked."

"It worked."

Cigna gasped softly as I raised my hands and cupped her cheeks softly. I realized that her skin would no longer flush as we were no longer human, and I would miss her rosy cheeks. Cigna's eyes fluttered closed and she pressed her cheek into my left hand. I leaned forward and placed soft kisses on her both her eyes. I hated the look of pain I had seen in her eyes earlier. She had gone through so much pain and suffering to save us.

"I'm sorry, my love," I whispered against her skin. I felt her immediately pull back.

"For what? Murato, my love, there is nothing to be sorry for. You remember and we're together now. That is all that matters," She said, looking up at me with big, pleading eyes.

"Forever?" I asked, a smile on my lips, remembering the words we had spoken so many times to each other.

"Forever," Cigna nodded.

My hands, still cupping her cheeks, gently pulled her face to mine, and Cigna whimpered as my lips gently pressed against hers. A spark seemed to ignite from our lips, sending a current through our bodies, and Cigna's hands buried themselves in my hair, tugging me closer. A fire was certainly sparked within me, and I felt like I couldn't get close enough to her. The touch of her skin against mine, her soft whimpers as our lips moved against each others, her scent…my whole being hungered for her.

I pulled her to me, my hands flew to her hips and I tugged her closer. My new hearing registered the sound of tearing fabric, and I knew my greedy hands must have torn Cigna's clothes. I decided that I didn't care. I had been without her for hundreds of years, and I wanted her like I had never wanted her before. Cigna pulled away, a giggle escaping from her lips. My greedy ones had descended down her neck instead, and I inhaled deeply, letting her scent wrap around me.

"Murato…" Cigna giggled.

"What?" I growled playfully, nipping at the skin of her neck.

"The others."

My eyes snapped open and I turned, pushing Cigna behind me. She giggled again, this time at my protective stance. Cigna placed her small hand on my shoulder.

"Alice said we have until sunrise, then they would like us to come back to the house. Oh, and also to hunt before we come back."

I frowned. "I didn't hear her say anything."

Cigna pulled back and placed a soft kiss on my lips before leaning up to my ear.

"I can hear their thoughts."

My eyes went wide. "Can you hear mine?"

Cigna sighed softly and shook her head sadly. "No. Your mind is blissfully silent."

I opened my mouth to speak but she cut me off.

"It's nice. It makes me feel…normal," She smiled up at me.

I couldn't help but grin in return. "That's too bad you can't hear what I'm thinking. I bet you'd really like it."

I pulled Cigna's body tightly against mine, letting her feel the effects her body in my arms had on my own. She gasped softly and tightened her grip on me.

"You're certain I would like the path your thoughts are taking?"

I nodded, my fingers fisting the material of her clothes tighter.

"Let me show you," I whispered against her ear.

Cigna nodded as my lips trailed down her jaw and back to her mouth. I moaned loudly as her tongue peaked out and swept across my bottom lip. Things seemed to happen in a frenzy after that. Our hands were everywhere and within seconds, the sounds of fabric being torn to shreds filled the air, but was suddenly silent. Cigna gasped loudly, our bodies finally coming to a stop. I hovered over her as I lay her body down on the scraps that remained of our clothes. Clothes were the last thing on my mind as I let my eyes trail over her body.

"You're so beautiful," I murmured.

The sun had long since set, and night had descended on us. The clouds had cleared somewhat and the light from the moon painted our meadow in a silvery blue glow. My Cigna's body almost didn't seem real. I took in her perfect curves and smooth look of her body. I was almost afraid that if I let myself reach out and touch her that she would disappear or I would find myself in yet another dream. Cigna's body began to quiver as I reached out and let my finger trace down her sternum between her breasts.

"So beautiful," I whispered, looking up from the path my finger was taking. "My Cigna."

I leaned down and let my weight settle against her body. Cigna whimpered and tried to pull me closer to where she wanted me.

"Murato…please…" She whimpered quietly.

"Shhhhhh," I answered her, leaning up and catching her lips with my own. "I want to take my time, love. I have missed you so."

I groaned against her lips, our bodies pressing together. My body throbbed and ached, and I wanted nothing more than to make us one, but I wanted to explore and rediscover my love. My lips brushed down the column of her throat and I inhaled deeply, all of my senses memorizing everything about her. Part of me couldn't believe that there was a force in this world that could ever have the power to make me forget my beloved. I was just thankful that Cigna had been strong enough for the both of us to never give up.

Cigna whimpered as my lips nipped and sucked at her right breast, and I placed a kiss over the spot where her now dormant heart lay. Her hands were traveling up and down my shoulders and back, and I paused, placing my chin on her chest to look up at her.

"Murato…" She pleaded, her hips shifting under me and trying to align our bodies in the way that we both wanted.

"Shhhhh…" I whispered, "I'm not finished yet."

"I don't know how you can wait," She pouted, her hands winding their way up into my hair and giving it a rough tug.

"I'm making up for lost time," I said softly, before placing a kiss on her breast, "And making up for…for what I did. As Edward."

My voice broke as I mentioned the last part. While I remembered everything of my past lives, that also unfortunately included the not so good parts. I couldn't believe that I had…taken Bella that way, thrown over some chair in my office. Her tears…I knew I would never forget the look in her eyes, in the eyes that I loved so much. My forehead dropped and rested on her stomach. I had promised long ago that I would never cause her pain, yet I hurt her in one of the worst ways possible.

"Murato…Murato, look at me."

I felt Cigna's small hands on my cheeks trying to coax my head upwards to look at her. I shook my head.

"I'm sorry…God, my love I'm sorry for what I did."

She must've have known what I was referring to, because her hands moved to my hair and ran through it slowly, and it soothed me as it always had.

"You weren't you…Edward was...you were confused. You weren't sure what was real and what wasn't, you weren't sleeping…"

I placed a kiss on her stomach and finally looked up.

"And you forgive me?"

Cigna smiled at me, and her eyes were full of nothing but love.

"There is nothing to forgive. I have you with me now forever. That makes every single hardship, all the time separated, all the pain…it is all worth it now that I have you in my arms again."

"I've missed you so much," I murmured, "Even when I didn't remember, my heart ached for you, I just never knew why."

"You don't know how long I've waited for you," Cigna cried, and had she still been human, I was sure there would have been tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I'm here," I said, leaning up and pressing a kiss under each of her eyes, "I'm here, my love."

Our lips met again, slowly moving with each other as our bodies pressed together. As we shifted, it was almost as if our bodies remembered each other, and we both gasped against each other's lips as I slid into her slowly, our hips soon flush against each other.

"I love you," I murmured against her lips, "I love you, Cigna."

"Forever," Cigna whispered breathily as I began to shift my hips.

Heaven wasn't enough of a word to describe how it felt to be with Cigna again this way, to be this close, to be this intimate. There was no better way to physically express our love, and if I had thought things had been perfect before when I was human, then I was sorely mistaken. Our skin was impenetrable now, and Cigna's nails no longer bit into the skin of my back, but the pressure from her fingers was the same. My muscles didn't tire as I increased my movements, and my lungs didn't need to take in air to sustain my body. Cigna whimpered as my hips shifted, and I hit that spot that always made her come undone.

"Murato!" Cigna cried out repeatedly, throwing her head back against the grass.

My pride was not the only thing the swelled at the sound of her voice screaming my name in the throes of passion. I nearly growled and my fingers dug into the ground near Cigna's head as I felt her tighten around me. My thrusts became harder and faster and I came undone the same time Cigna screamed my name loudly, her back arching off the ground. I groaned, thrusting my hips against hers one last time and buried my face against her neck.

I continued to be surprised by the fact that my body didn't need any of the breathes I was taking in, and I as I shifted against Cigna's body and placed a soft kiss against her neck, I found that my body didn't need much time to recover in other areas either. Suddenly I found myself pinned on my back and Cigna hovering above me. She grinned as I looked up at her in surprise.

"Cigna, what-"

"I believe Alice called it, 'making up for lost time sex'," She said, a wide smile spreading across her lips.

When her words registered in my brain and I growled playfully before flipping us back over and pinning her on her back again.

"Oh really?" I asked, "Is that what they call it these days?"

Cigna nodded and we flipped and rolled again, both of us growling and laughing as we fought for dominance over the other. I found my back being thrown against the ground relatively hard and Cigna pounced, her weight settling on my chest. She nipped playfully at my neck.

"My turn to be on top," She whispered.

My newly born erection throbbed at her words, and my hips shifted impatiently as she leaned down and began placing kisses along my chest and down my torso.

"Mmmm…" she hummed, "Then maybe you can be on top again, then maybe from behind, sideways, against a tree…"

I growled and used every ounce of strength in my body to keep myself from flipping her over and taking her rough and quick. She wanted her turn on top, and I reminded myself that we had all the time in the world now to be together.

"We'll have to see how many positions we can fit in before we need to meet back at the house."

Those words immediately made me frown. I had forgotten about the Cullens.

"When do we need to go back?" I asked, well, more like pouted.

Cigna giggled and placed her hands on my forearms. My greedy hands had made their way to her hips, guiding her to where I wanted her the most.

"Alice said by sunrise. That should give us quite a few hours."

"Hours you say?"

I definitely liked the idea of hours alone with my Cigna, and a body that apparently didn't need a resting period. Cigna nodded as she sank her body down over mine, both of us moaning loudly at the feeling. I would never get enough of her this way, and I was more grateful than ever that I would have forever to do so.

"I love you, Cigna," I murmured.

"I love you too, Murato."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

**Well? Yes? No? There are still some explanations to be had in the next chapter. If you have questions, do ask them in your reviews. :-) **

**With that being said, there are two more regular chapters left and then the epilogue. I had planned for there to be only one more chapter, but there was a certain scene that my beta demanded be written :-P And as of now, there are no plans for a sequel. Let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? I anticipate **_**at least**_** two weeks until the next update. I have to take care of my SIAU readers too. Look on Twitter for updates! :-D**


	16. Ch 15: Good Life

**Disclaimer: Not mine…Just playing with SM's characters…**

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading & reviewing! Your support really means the world to me. :D YAY! Edward and Bella are back together! LOL, but this chapter still has some surprises and explanations for you. I hope you all like it.**

**Special thanks to my beta eternally_addicted. You're the best, BB! I can't thank you enough for all your support on this story! **

_**Oh this has gotta be the good life **_

_**This has gotta be the good life **_

_**This could really be a good life, good life **_

_**Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight **_

_**Like this city is on fire tonight **_

_**This could really be a good life **_

_**A good, good life**_

_**- OneRepublic, "Good Life"**_

Chapter 16: Good Life

_**EPOV**_

"Mmmmmm…what are you doing, my love?"

My eyes were closed as I lay on my back in the middle of the meadow. I heard Cigna giggle as her fingers traced the lines of my abdomen and up to my chest. My chest rumbled in pleasure, my skin feeling as though I could never get enough of her touch.

"Did you know that you purred?" Cigna asked, her body lying over mine. My hands rested lightly on her hips and held her tightly to me.

"Mmmmmm…" I hummed, a smile spreading across my face. "I haven't felt so peaceful and content…ever."

"Me either," Cigna whispered quietly.

I opened my eyes to find her curled against my chest, her eyes focusing on her fingers that were still tracing softly against my skin.

"Cigna? Look at me, love."

I still expected to see some of her human traits, but when Cigna looked up at me, I still saw all the same fear and apprehension in her eyes.

"Cigna, what is it? What's wrong?"

She reached a hand up and traced my cheek gently.

"Caccio is gone, the curse is broken…but we could still get separated," she whispered.

"Oh, Cigna," I said, my hands coming up to run up and down her back. "We cannot think about things like that."

"But it could happen," She whimpered.

"Do you want to spend our existence afraid of the 'what ifs'? The only thing that hurt us are other vampires. The Cullens are good people. If we are fortunate enough, they might let us join their family."

"I would miss Alice terribly if we had to leave," Cigna said quietly. I almost pointed out that she had tried to attack Alice only a few short hours ago, but that didn't seem fair. Cigna had thought me dead at the time, and I couldn't even begin to imagine the pain of losing her forever and what she must've felt when she thought I was gone, and that it had been Alice's fault.

"We will talk to Carlisle. I think I would miss seeing him and Jasper again as well."

I couldn't believe our fortunes. Not only had Cigna and I broken the curse, and all of my memories been restored, but also two important people from our pasts had found us again as well. Carlisle and Jasper had been such dear friends to us both, and now we had, hopefully, an eternity to catch up with them.

"It's almost sunrise," Cigna said quietly.

I sighed heavily, not wanting to leave the peacefulness and privacy we had here, but knowing that we had to.

"We should start heading towards the house," I murmured.

Cigna slowly got to her feet and I followed, dusting the grass and dirt from my skin. It was Cigna's laughter that caught my attention.

"What is it?" I asked, a smile on my lips.

"We have no clothes," Cigna giggled.

I frowned as I looked down and noticed that the shredded remains of our clothes lay tattered across the ground. I smiled as a thought occurred to me, and extended my hand to Cigna.

"Come. Edward lived close to where we are and close to the Cullens. There are clothes there we can use."

"And maybe a shower?" Cigna asked. "We have dirt all over us. Plus I wouldn't mind seeing where you lived as Edward."

I felt my penis harden as I looked over Cigna's form appreciatively, and the last part of her words didn't even register to me. Her skin was streaked with dirt from our amorous activities, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. Cigna noticed my gaze and swatted playfully at me.

"We don't have time for that," She scolded, her eyes lingering on my new erection.

Before she could blink I had her pinned against a tree, a loud crack sounding through the air, and her legs wrapped around my waist. Cigna whimpered as she felt me rub against her.

"We're vampires now, love," I purred, "We definitely have some time."

She grinned before smashing her lips to mine, and in one swift move I buried myself in her, our mouths breaking away from each others as we let out loud moans. I didn't wait and my hips began to thrust quickly, my fingers digging into the bark behind Cigna's back. She whimpered and moaned, her fingers tugging at my hair, and her legs tightened around my waist. I felt her orgasm fast approaching, and it only made my hips move faster and harder.

"Murato!" Cigna screamed out, her entire body clenching around mine. I roared in response and I thrust forcefully into her one more time, feeling myself pulsing deep within her.

At the same time I had thrust one last time into my love, a deafening crack sounded through the air, and I lost my balance as the tree behind Cigna gave way. I was able to recover, and held her tightly to me as I stared in my post orgasmic haze at the pine tree that slowly fell behind Cigna, taking a few others down with it. Cigna's face that had been buried in my neck slowly raised and I found her red eyes looking back at me, shocked yet completely satisfied.

"Did we just knock down a tree?" She asked quietly, shock and awe in her voice.

I couldn't help but grin. "We just knocked down a tree."

Cigna chuckled and shook her head. "Don't let Emmett find out. He'll never let us forget it."

"I have a feeling he and Rosalie have probably done something just as bad, if not worse."

Cigna placed a soft kiss on my lips before she wiggled and I knew she wanted to be put down on her feet. She smiled up at me and laced her fingers with mine.

"Let's get ready to meet the Cullens. I have a lot of questions still."

I nodded and we took off with our new found speed towards Edward's cottage. As we ran, I couldn't deny that I had questions as well. Not only did I have questions about our powers, but I could've sworn that Alice had mentioned "others." I wanted to know what she meant. Was their coven bigger than what Cigna and I had originally thought? Were we in danger from other vampires? I was both nervous and excited about what answers the Cullens had for us.

* * *

"How weird must it be to be a psychic?" Cigna asked, a chuckle in her voice.

"I don't know that I would want to see some of the stuff we did in the meadow…especially if it was another couple," I replied.

Apparently Alice had a vision of Cigna and I destroying each other's clothes and then deciding to head here afterwards. When we arrived, there was a pair of women's tights, underwear, black-heeled boots, and a black dress waiting on Edward's bed. Of course, they were all in Cigna's size. I had thrown on a blue v-neck shirt I had found and some dark jeans.

"Well, I will say that Alice has excellent taste," I said, staring at Cigna appreciatively. I had never gotten a chance to see her in such form fitting clothes, and though I had seen her naked, the sight of her in this black dress as it clung to her curves, had me excited, especially knowing what lay beneath.

"Don't get any ideas," Cigna said, almost as if she could actually read my mind.

"You're sure you can't read my mind?" I asked, a smirk on my face.

Cigna rolled her eyes. "I'm sure, but you had that look on your face. The same look you had when you explained the benefits of vampire speed."

"Mmmmmm…we are fast though, and I can be careful…"

"No, Murato," Cigna said firmly, "We agreed to get answers from the Cullens."

I couldn't help but pout a little. Cigna walked up to me at patted my cheek.

"Don't worry, we'll have all of eternity to test out our vampire speed."

I grinned. "All right. Shall we then?"

Instead of using our vampire speed, I took Cigna's hand in mine, and we strolled out of Edward's cottage and down the forest path that I knew led to Carlisle and Esme's home. As we walked hand in hand through the woods, I was reminded of our human life, and how Cigna and I had often taken walks like this. A part of my heart ached at the memory of our last walk like this. Cigna had told me she was pregnant with my heir. Children wouldn't be a possibility for us anymore.

"Why do you look so sad, my love?" Cigna asked as we walked slowly.

I sighed. "I was just thinking about the last time we took a walk like this. The splendid news you had for me before Caccio brought our whole world crashing down on us."

"Are you sad that we won't have any children?" Cigna whispered.

"I am," I said forlornly. "I had dreamed of a little girl with your big brown eyes and my unruly hair, or perhaps a little boy who had dark hair and eyes like his mother."

Cigna shook her head next to me. "Our son would've looked exactly like you."

"I mourn that possibility coming to an end, but having the curse lifted and an eternity with you now eases the pain."

I sighed when Cigna didn't say anything.

"Does that make me incredibly selfish?" I asked.

"No…" Cigna murmured. "There was no other way, but I think we'll be okay."

"All I need is you, my love."

Cigna squeezed my hand before she spoke. "I think Carlisle will welcome us into his coven, his family."

"We will have a family again," I murmured before leaning down and pressing my lips to Cigna's head. That made the ache in my heart at the loss of different possibilities hurt a little less.

"Murato?" Cigna asked, pausing as we neared the Cullen house.

"Yes, my love?"

"I…" She paused. "I think we should go by Edward and Bella instead."

My brows furrowed. "Why do you say that?"

She shrugged. "It's who we died as technically. That's whose bodies these are, Edward Masen and Isabella Swan…plus that is who all of the Cullens know us as. I just think it might be a little easier for everyone else."

"Always thinking of others," I said, a smile spreading across my lips, "Very well, if that is what you wish."

"Thank you, Edward," She said, a smile on her lips as well.

"You are welcome, my dearest, Bella."

Bella smiled and chuckled to herself. "I can hear Alice's thoughts. She's practically bouncing off the walls waiting for us."

"Then let's not keep her waiting," I said, letting go of Bella's hand and instead wrapping my arm around her waist.

Bella hummed appreciatively, pressing herself into my side, and soon we emerged out of the woods and into the backyard of the Cullen property. The massive white mansion stood before us, and the southern wall that faced us seemed to be completely made out of glass. I did notice however, that there was a blue tarp covering a section where a large amount of the glass had been destroyed.

"From the fight with James and Laurent," Bella whispered, her eyes following where I was staring.

"I only regret that I wasn't a vampire myself and didn't get to have the pleasure of ripping him to pieces."

Bella laughed. "Alice can hear us. She just replayed the scene in her mind. She was the one who ripped his head off."

"Good," I nearly growled. In my opinion, Caccio hadn't suffered enough for the pain he had inflicted upon us. The only consolation was that he was no longer roaming the earth, and would never be able to hurt us again.

"They're here!" I heard Alice call from the back porch.

A smile seemed to spread across my face on its own as I took in Alice standing there, her hands clasped in front of her and her body bouncing on her toes. Jasper was standing behind her with his hands clasped _behind _his back, in a classic military stance.

"At ease, Major Whitlock," I chuckled.

Jasper smirked at me. "How's your thirst? Will you two be all right for a bit?"

The burning was there, but I felt under control of it for now. It was almost as if I had known that this was going to be my fate one day all along, and I was prepared for the trials that would come with it.

"I'm okay for a while longer. How are you, Bella?"

Alice gasped at the use of Bella's name.

"I wasn't sure if that was what you two had decided!" She exclaimed happily. "I'm so glad you did!"

Bella smiled. "Well, Bella and Edward are a little more fitting names for this day and age."

"True," Jasper nodded. "Come on inside. We all have a lot of questions and answers to share."

We walked into the house behind Alice and were led into a large sitting room that looked out over the southern part of their yard. The glass windows let in what little light there was coming through the clouds, but I imagined that on a sunny day, it was quite spectacular. Esme and Carlisle were standing next to a large couch, and noticed instantly that Emmett and Rosalie were missing.

"Where are Emmett and Rosalie?" Bella asked, beating me to it.

"They'll be along shortly," Carlisle responded. "Was I correct in what I heard? You two would like to go by Edward and Bella?"

I looked to Bella to let her explain. "We died technically as Edward Masen and Bella Swan. You all know us as Edward and Bella, and we both decided that would be easier. Plus, Cigna and Murato aren't the most current of names."

"Well, technically I know you as Anthony and Marie," Carlisle said.

"And I know you as Robert and Belle," Jasper chimed in.

"Oh don't be such smart asses!" Esme said, smacking Carlisle on the arm. "They want to go by Edward and Bella, so that is what we will call them."

"Thank you, Esme," Bella said quietly.

"All right then," Carlisle said, "Now that the name game is sorted out, I'm sure you two have a lot of questions for us."

Bella and I nodded, and Carlisle gestured for all of us to have a seat on the plush couches. Bella sat to my left and immediately laced her fingers with mine, giving them a small squeeze. Carlisle and Esme sat on the other couch, while Alice sat in an armchair, which Jasper stood behind. He was back in his military stance, and suddenly, I had to know what happened to him.

"Jasper, tell me what happened to you? I made it back to the farm, and I remember your family receiving word that you were presumed dead," I said.

Jasper sighed and chuckled wryly. "Well, I guess I was dead. After I buried Jacob's body, I rode back towards Galveston. That was when I encountered Maria…"

Bella and I listened attentively, and Bella gasped here and there as Jasper recounted for us his introduction into the life of a vampire. He left one brutal war, only to be thrust into one that was even worse. This Maria sounded a lot like Victoria in my opinion, and I was sorry that Jasper had been forced to go through all of it.

"I don't regret it all now," Jasper said quietly. "After all, it brought me to Alice."

"You kept me waiting long enough," Alice teased playfully.

"My apologies, ma'am. Not all of us are psychic," Jasper grinned.

"And then you two joined with Carlisle?" Bella asked.

Alice nodded. "When I woke, I had a vision of Carlisle and the rest of our family as well. Jasper and I met up with them when they were in Ithaca, New York."

"And Carlisle," I asked, "What happened to you? Was everything that Victoria told us true?"

Carlisle nodded. "It was. I struggled for a long time with what I had become, but knowing that we can survive off the blood of animals, that I can still help people, that I found Esme and I have a family now…that has made this life much more bearable."

"I'll say," Esme smiled. "We hope the two of you will consider staying with us…become a part of our family? We would understand if that is not what you would want."

I glanced at Bella and found her smiling up at me.

"We would like to stay with you very much," I replied.

"But of course you still have questions?" Carlisle prompted.

Bella and I both nodded.

"You're right, Jasper," Bella said suddenly. "I am very curious about these powers."

She then laughed, "Don't worry, Esme. I haven't been eavesdropping. I'm learning how to control it better."

Esme looked relieved as Carlisle, Alice, and Jasper all chuckled quietly.

"Thank goodness," Esme said, relieved.

"So, Bella and Edward, "Carlisle started out, "Over the years, I have done a bit of research about powers and certain characteristics that seem stronger in some vampires than others. Jasper and I have refined our theory, and for most explanations of vampire powers, it makes sense."

"Okay," I said, wondering what his explanation for my "shielding" power would be. "So why do you think that we have different powers?"

"It is my belief that when we are turned, our strongest powers and intuitions and strengths are amplified when we are changed into vampires," Carlisle said.

Bella and I turned to look at each other, both still completely confused.

"Let me use us all as examples," Carlisle went on. "Jasper is an empath. He can feel the emotions people are feeling, and he can also influence them. In his human life, Jasper must have been very intuitive and had an incredible ability to put others at ease. To understand what others were feeling."

"I remember that about you, Jasper," Bella said quietly. "Robert, Jacob, and I always looked to you to be the leader of our little gang when we were kids. You knew how to convince us to be brave or instilled joy in all of us when we would steal the pies your mom had baked off her window sill."

I chuckled at those memories. The four of us running with one of Mrs. Whitlock's apple pies and hiding behind the barn where we thought we would never be found. Of course, we were found and it earned us all quite a bit of lashings.

"Well, I don't exactly use my powers for stealing pies anymore," Jasper chuckled, "But it does come in handy when we encounter nomads or…_other _vampires."

Bella opened her mouth to ask what Jasper meant by "other", but she was cut off by Alice.

"Not all of us have 'powers' like the four of us," Alice said, her hand gesturing between herself and Jasper, and Bella and me. "However, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie all brought their own strengths to this life."

Esme smiled lovingly at Alice before she spoke more.

"I know the two of you have yet to meet Rosalie, and based on what you remember of her from your human lives, you might not think too highly of her, but you will see that her demeanor is a product of her strength."

"Okay…" Bella drew out slowly.

"Rosalie brought her tenacity with her to this life," Carlisle said. "Everything Rosalie does and feels, she gives it a hundred and ten percent. She may come off as cold and blunt, but it is because she is very protective of those she loves, and she will fiercely protect those that she loves."

Bella and I both nodded. From what I remembered of Dr. Rosalie Hale, she was certainly fierce, and she did not like to be challenged.

"I'm sure that the two of you can guess that Emmett's gift is his physical strength. Though we are all physically strong as vampires, Emmett is actually almost as strong as a newborn. He did a lot of manual labor in his human life, and he was very strong as a human, hence, that transferred over with him to this life," Jasper explained.

"Esme," Alice beamed as she looked at her, "Esme is our mother for all intents and purposes. Her gift is her ability to love unconditionally. She'll take anyone under her wing and love them only the way a mother can."

I noticed the sad look on Esme's face.

"Esme," I said, "You took better care of me than I could've for myself. I probably would've starved if you hadn't made all of that food for me, or checked in on me."

"Oh, Edward, it was my pleasure," Esme said, "Seeing you and Bella here together and so happy…I would be crying if I could."

"I'm so sorry, Esme," Bella said quietly, confusing me. "I…I didn't mean to hear, I…"

I was about to ask what Bella was talking about, but Esme beat me to it.

"It's all right, Bella, dear," Esme said softly, "They all know what happened to me all those years ago. I lost a child, Edward. All I ever wanted to be was a mother. I tried to kill myself, but Carlisle saved me where I failed."

Esme looked at Carlisle and you could see the love that they shared between them. It was obvious to anyone who looked at them.

"I'm so sorry, Esme," I said, now understanding the sad look on her face when Alice mentioned being a mother.

She smiled at me. "The pain never really goes away, but being with Carlisle, and having my adopted children and our little family makes it hurt a lot less."

"I know what you mean," Bella said softly, looking up at me. I smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"And we must tell you of Carlisle," Esme beamed, in the only way a proud spouse could, "Carlisle's strength is his compassion. He overcame his bloodlust to become a doctor and uses his vampire abilities to aid him when he works with patients. He has always wanted to be a man who helps others, and as a vampire, he can still do that."

"He did a lot for us," I said softly. "Not only as Anthony and Marie, but also in this life. Carlisle, my friend, thank you for helping us, for everything you have done, for everything that you _all_ have done. Bella and I can never repay you."

Carlisle smiled warmly at me. "Well, I…actually, _we _are hoping that you'll stay. We often break off and have our own little couples trips, but we always come back together. You wouldn't be obligated to stay with us always, but it would be nice to have you around again my friends."

I looked at Bella and she smiled, nodding her head.

"We would love to stay with you and be a part of your family, Carlisle," I said.

"I'm so glad to hear that," He replied. "I know both Jasper and myself would love to hear what else the both of you remember of our human lives. Our human memories have faded you see, but it appears the two of you remember everything."

"Is that a power or something?" Bella asked.

Carlisle chuckled, "No, I don't think so. I think it is somehow related to the curse that was placed on the both of you."

"And what do you think about the powers that Edward and I now have?" Bella asked seriously. "How does that relate to our human lives?"

Carlisle chuckled. "Jasper and I have had quite the debate about that. Bella, our best guess as to why you are a mind reader is because in all of your lives, you became very good at reading people, and gauging what they knew and what they remembered in Edward's case."

"She was always good at reading people, even as Cigna," I replied.

Jasper nodded, "That probably has something to do with it too."

"But I can't read Edward," Bella said sadly.

Carlisle nodded. "I think that somehow may be related to the curse, and also the fact that Edward was a king when he was Murato. As a king, he likely stood strong in his decisions and did not let others sway him easily."

"He was just as stubborn as Edward," Alice chuckled. "Bella and all of us for that matter, had to work so hard for you to remember."

"So that somehow made me a shield?"

"Yes," Carlisle nodded, "You protected you own mind, and I think that power was amplified by the curse and your memories being cut off and blocked out. Your present mind would block out all of the memories threatening to get in, and I think, even though you now remember everything, that you brought that mental strength with you to this life. It keeps Bella from reading your mind, and it keeps Alice and Jasper from having any influence on you."

"That makes sense," I said quietly, letting everything Carlisle said sink in.

"What about Alice?" Bella asked after a few seconds. "You didn't explain her power."

Alice smiled. "My visions of the future were a power I had even as a human. Something I didn't learn until recently."

"From James?" Bella nearly growled.

"No," Alice chuckled. "Someone else who knew me as a human…and apparently he's very impatient."

Bella and I both sprang to our feet as we heard the front door open and the scent of a new vampire hit our noses. I had pushed her behind me protectively as I crouched down. When I let my eyes take in the new vampire who stood there, I gasped when I realized who he was. Bella must've have recognized him at the same time I did because she gasped loudly and almost knocked me over as she pushed me out of the way and ran to him.

"Lupo!" She cried.

I smiled as I watched Bella cling to her older brother tightly as he swung her around in a circle. I turned to see the Cullens smiling happily at the scene.

"Actually, it's Garrett," Bella's brother chuckled. "At least, that was the name of this human body when I was changed."

Bella pulled back to gaze at her brother, her fingers coming up to trace the features of his face.

"Garrett?" She asked, "You…but…"

Bella turned to look at Alice.

"He's how I learned about my human life. He was the doctor at the asylum that I was in," Alice said, smiling.

"Edward…" Bella said, her voice trembling. "This is Garrett."

Garrett released his hold on Bella and I slowly walked towards them.

"I guess you would remember me as Jacob," Garrett chuckled as I reached him. We embraced one another in a hug.

"I never thought I would see you again, my friend," I said quietly.

He chuckled as he pat my back. "Nor I. I was pleasantly surprised to see Jasper as well."

"But…how are you here?" Bella asked, as Garrett and I stepped away from each other. She was instantly back in the embrace of her older brother.

"The old one that changed Alice also changed me," Garrett said quietly. "He left me to die in the morgue thinking I was dead. When I woke, I knew I was different. I killed two of the hospital workers before I fled. There were police investigating the hospital and only later did I learn it was because of my disappearance and also Alice's. I never went back home, knowing I now craved human blood. I was scared to be near you or our parents, so I left."

"And you've just been wandering all this time?" I asked.

Garrett nodded, "Up until a few days ago, the only life I remembered was that of Garrett Swan. I was hunting in the outskirts of Vancouver when all of a sudden my head started pounding. It hurt so much that I was brought to my knees."

"Your eyes are red," I interrupted.

Garrett sighed and looked apologetic. "I didn't know there was another way to survive."

"But you know now?" Bella asked hopefully.

Garrett nodded. "I've been here for two days now. The Cullens have been working to teach me their way."

Bella and I both smiled at that, but I wanted to know how he knew to come here.

"How did you end up here though? What happened after the headache?"

"When the pain finally stopped, I found that I remembered everything. I even remembered lives that a part of my soul had lived after I became a vampire. I remembered everything from my life as Lupo, up until my life in Phoenix, when I was killed at such a young age this lifetime. Then I felt this pull to Forks. It was like a beacon literally calling me here. I wasn't sure why so I started doing some research and found an Internet café. I recognized Edward's picture, and figured you must be here too. Alice saw me coming and met me and explained everything that had happened. We've all been waiting for you two to wake up."

"But…but how is that possible? You didn't live those lives?" Bella asked, still shocked by her brother's memories. She looked at Carlisle for an explanation.

Carlisle shrugged. "The way I see it, it was another part of the curse. Even though he cheated death and was turned into a vampire in 1919, you and Edward still hadn't broken the curse, and until the two of you did, there would always be a part of Garrett that would be reincarnated until the curse was broken."

As Carlisle spoke, that was when things seemed to click together in my head.

"Anyone who has ever loved you…" I murmured.

"What?" Bella said, having heard me.

"Anyone who has ever loved you," I repeated. "That was what Caccio's words were in the curse. Garrett loved you because he was your brother, so he was included in the curse just like Caccio…"

I trailed off as another thought hit me.

"Our parents?" I turned to face the Cullens. They all grinned and I turned back to face Garrett, who was also grinning widely.

"I was too impatient to see my little sister and my best friend again," Garrett shrugged. "I know Mom is ready to jump out of her skin. She can't wait to see you, little sister."

"Call me Bella." My love smiled. She left Garrett's arms to leap into mine. I held her tightly.

"Our families, Edward. Our families are here," Bella cried softly.

I stroked the back of her head, running my hands through her silky hair. "I know, love. I can't believe it."

"Would you like to see them?" Alice asked, a smile on her face.

"I'm sure you know the answer to that," Bella said, pulling back from me with a chuckle.

"I'll get them," Garrett said.

He disappeared quickly and I continued to hold Bella close to me.

"Our families," she whispered again. "Edward…I…I just can't believe it."

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. I didn't know what else I could possibly say since I was just as shocked as Bella was. I never thought in my wildest dreams that our families would be here. We both turned as the door opened and we watched in disbelief as our parents came into the room, followed by Garrett, Emmett, and Rosalie.

"Momma!" Bella cried, tearing herself from my grasp.

I smiled and watched as Bella and her mother met halfway and embraced each other tightly. My own mother let out her own cry and I found myself running towards both her and my father, my father supporting her. They both threw their arms around me as I hugged them tightly.

"Mijo…" my father murmured against my shoulder.

"Papa?" I raised my head to look at him. "Usted se enciende cuando vivíamos en España?"

"Bueno," my father chuckled. "You are still fluent in Spanish, too."

"So the animal attack…" I trailed off.

"It was a vampire," My father replied.

"No wonder there was no body," I murmured.

"Let me clarify," my father chuckled. "It was a _certain_ vampire."

I turned to look at my mother, shocked as my father nodded his head towards her. She lifted her hands to cup my cheeks.

"Oh, Murato…look how handsome you are," she cooed.

"Matre?" I asked.

"Oh, my boy," my mother sighed happily. "It has been an eternity since I feel I have seen your face."

"You…_you_ changed Papa when we lived in Spain?"

My mother nodded. "I was in the woods on the outskirts, looking for my next meal. I saw your father coming out of his shop. His blood called to me like no other, and his…well, his body and his looks called to me as well. I had no idea why, but they did. It wasn't until later that I realized that he resembled your father, Vocato. I changed him in his shop. There was blood all around because I had to force myself to stop. I carried his body away quickly, hoping that I had been successful in changing him."

"Wait, who changed you?" I asked.

I watched as my father stroked my mother's shoulder comfortingly.

"After you and Cigna were killed, I couldn't bear the grief, it was too much," My mother said sadly, "I went to the cliffs, intent on throwing myself off to meet my fate. I couldn't live with the sadness. A man stopped me there, and his name was Vladimir. He said he could offer me a different way, a way where it wouldn't hurt as much. I agreed, not sure what he wanted, only that I didn't want to hurt anymore. When I awoke to this new life, I found that I couldn't remember much of my human life. I eventually left him because he changed me in hope of finding a mate, and we both knew we weren't made for each other."

"So you wandered until you found Papa?" I asked.

"I did," my mother nodded.

"And when Papa woke, wasn't he confused? You look exactly like my mother from that lifetime too."

"Not exactly," my father interrupted. "Her features are more defined as a vampire, and her hair is different. The pull between us is the same though. I knew your mother was my mate when I awoke to this new life, even if she wasn't your mother Elisabeta."

"His soul recognized mine," my mother said, smiling up at him.

"And now, you both remember everything? Even up until this lifetime?"

"We do," my father nodded. "It pains me to think we weren't really there for you as your parents in all of these lifetimes."

"You are here now," I reminded them both, "and we all remember everything, and have eternity together now."

"Time to make new memories," my mother said as she smiled and looked at Bella and her family.

"Yes," I nodded, smiling as my love looked over at me.

I walked over with my parents towards Bella's family. The Cullens stood back and watched our reunion, all with smiles on their faces.

"Bella," I said as I extended my hand. She took it and came to stand by my side. "I would like you to meet my parents, Matre and Antonio."

Bella gasped, recognizing their names and what lifetimes they corresponded to.

"Bella, still so beautiful," my mother said softly. The two women embraced each other quickly, before Bella let go and hugged my father.

"It is wonderful to see you," my father said.

He released Bella and she returned to my side, quickly kissing me on the cheek in her happiness.

"Oh, Edward…you have to meet my parents. This is my mother Rebecca…"

I gasped and bowed my head as I took her hand and placed a soft kiss upon it.

I heard her chuckle. "I see Anthony's manners weren't lost on you, Edward."

"No, ma'am," I replied with a smile.

She smiled back at me with kind eyes. "I am so happy to see you both again, Edward. I love being able to see my daughter smile."

"It is a joy to see you both," I said. I turned and offered my hand to Bella's father.

"My father, Jonathan," Bella said quietly.

"Sir," I nodded, shaking his hand. The last time I saw him he was riding north with Jasper's father.

"Pleasure to see you again, Masen," Jonathan Swan said in his rough voice.

"Yes, sir," I answered. "I…how did the two of you find each other?"

Rebecca Swan smiled. "It wasn't until I arrived here that I saw my Richard again…or, well, my Jonathan."

"And you both remembered everything?" I asked.

"It was much as Garrett has already described for you. A pounding pain in our heads and when it was over, we remembered everything, and everything in our beings was calling us towards Forks," Jonathan explained.

"And your years as vampires before you remembered?" I asked.

Rebecca smiled sadly. "I spent most of my early years prowling in the sewers with my maker. She was a woman by the name of Heidi, she had an extreme talent for luring prey with her words and looks. We eventually parted ways. She wanted to go south to Italy, I wished to go explore further north. I have not seen her since."

She looked at Jonathan, signaling to him that it was his turn. He took a deep breath.

"Well, you see, I actually know Jasper from…before."

My eyes went wide as I looked at Bella. She nodded silently.

"Maria was building an army," Jonathan sighed, "The vampire wars were going strong in the South. She used the Civil War as an easy alibi for missing men and women. She had been working her way through Texas."

"Belle said they had received word that you were dead," I said, "I remember she showed me the letter for both you and my father."

I watched as Jonathan nodded. "I didn't come back from one of our battles. Maria had snatched me as we were coming back to our camp through the woods. I was presumed dead since I did not return."

Jonathan sighed heavily. "My human memories were very dim. I had vague recollection of Belle and Martha, but no one else. When Maria changed Jasper, she made him her right hand man. I didn't recognize him, but we all grew to fear him though. We knew that she had him kill many of those who had outgrown their purpose or she considered too weak. I didn't want to die, so I fled one night and never looked back. I headed north to Canada and roamed for years."

"And then you had the headache the other day and came here?" I asked.

Jonathan nodded with a smile. "I was shocked to see Jasper with Alice waiting for me. And then to see Rebecca standing behind them, and Garrett…I just knew that my daughter would be here soon as well."

"So now we're all here, and reunited," I said, a smile spreading across my face.

"With an eternity to catch up," Bella smiled, wrapping her arm around my waist. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, and we both watched as our parents got reacquainted with each other and talked amongst themselves. Garrett stood beside them, adding commentary where he could.

Carlisle came up to Bella and me after a few minutes.

"We have invited them to stay with us as well," Carlisle said. "Jasper was going to move the family up to our residence in Alaska. As you imagine, we can't really stay here in Forks after everything that has happened. I have three missing patients and one missing doctor."

Carlisle raised his brows as he spoke, making sure I understood his words. Technically Jasper, Alice, Bella, and I were all missing. We couldn't risk anyone seeing us, and we didn't want to draw any unwanted attention. There was nothing tying me here to Forks, so I had no problem with it. Plus, I had a feeling that we all needed some uninterrupted time to talk together as a family.

A family. We were a part of a family again.

"I understand, Carlisle," I said. "I have to admit, I've always wanted to see Alaska."

He chuckled and clapped me on the back. "We'll see that we get everything ready so that you all may leave as soon as tomorrow."

I nodded, understanding why he and Esme had to stay. It would definitely be suspicious if one of the town doctors also just up and left the same time that some of his patients and a fellow doctor also disappeared.

"Come, I know everyone is excited to talk and have some questions answered," Carlisle said, gesturing for us all to come join the rest of the Cullens in the living room.

I looked down to see Bella's smiling face looking up at me.

"Everything is perfect now," She whispered to me.

"Mmmm…" I hummed, "It is."

* * *

We spent the entire day talking as a group, all of us taking turns to answer whatever questions we could and also share different things that we remembered. Just as the sun was going down, Alice suggested that she and Jasper take our new family members hunting. Watching Bella hunt was nothing short of exhilarating and seeing her smile and race with her brother on the way back to the Cullens' home put a smile on my face.

As we decided to part for the evening, Bella and I hugged our families good bye. They were staying in the Cullens' other guest cottage on their property. We would all be meeting tomorrow to plan our move up to Alaska. Bella and I decided to stay in the cottage that was once mine. We no longer slept, but I could tell that each couple wanted their own time alone for the evening. Bella and I both felt for Garrett who was alone, and decided he was going to go do more hunting in the woods. Alice smiled and patted Bella on the shoulder as we watched Garrett slip into the woods.

"Garrett is going to be just fine. Alaska will really suit him," She said, before giggling and flitting off to join Jasper.

I asked Bella what Alice meant as we walked hand in hand back to our little cottage. A wide smile spread across Bella's face.

"Let's just say, my brother won't be alone for long."

I smiled and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Bella's head. Garrett had been a good friend in my life as Robert. I was happy that my friend wouldn't be alone much longer. I wanted nothing more than for our family to be happy, and it looked like all of us would be in a just a short while.

Bella sighed happily as the cottage came into view. "This life feels like heaven."

I couldn't help but smile as well. "This really is a good life isn't it?"

"I think 'good' might be an understatement," Bella snorted.

My free hand played with the small object in my pocket. Before she had left, my mother slipped it to me.

"I can think of something that would make it better," I said quietly, stopping where I was.

"What?" Bella asked, laughter in her voice as I pulled her back to me.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring that my mother had given me. It was the ring that King Vocato had given to his Queen Matre, my mother, centuries ago. Bella gasped as she looked at the elegant emerald, surrounded by small diamonds, and sitting on a golden band.

"Edward…"

"Will you marry me, Bella?"

**Well? Yes? No? Who saw all of the Masens and the Swans coming? :D And I hope I answered all your questions. Please leave them in your review if there's something you still don't feel that got answered.**

**And yes, the big scene my beta demanded from me is a wedding between these two. After everything they've been through, they deserve their wedding and HEA. :D Maybe even a honeymoon…**

**Let me know what you guys thought, good or bad, pretty please? One more regular chapter and then the epilogue. Hope to update again soon!**


	17. Ch 16: Kissing You

**Disclaimer: Not mine…just playing with SM's characters…**

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Sniff sniff…here it is, the last regular chapter. This Bella and Edward deserve their happily ever after right? :-D**

**Biggest, specialist, thanks EVER to my beta eternally_addicted. This story couldn't have been half of what it is without her making sense of my nonsense. **

_**Pride can stand a thousand trials,**_

_**The strong will never fall**_

_**But watching stars without you,**_

_**My soul cried.**_

_**Heaving heart is full of pain,**_

_**Oh, oh, the aching.**_

_**'Cause I'm kissing you, oh.**_

_**I'm kissing you, oh.**_

_**Touch me deep, pure and true,**_

_**Gift to me forever**_

_**'Cause I'm kissing you, oh.**_

_**I'm kissing you, oh.**_

_**- Des'Ree, "Kissing You"**_

Chapter 16: Kissing You

_**EPOV**_

"Do we really need to be apart all day?"

My eyes were closed, but a smile spread across my lips.

"It was your idea to keep things traditional, love," I whispered, my fingers stroking up and down the naked expanse of Bella's back.

"Mmmm…" Bella purred. "I changed my mind."

"No…" I groaned, "Don't say that! You know who-"

I was cut off by pounding on our bedroom door.

"Bella Swan! Don't you dare!" Alice yelled from the other side. With the way she pounded on the door, I half expected her to break it down.

Bella groaned and buried her face against my chest. I laughed as she grumbled and groaned about her all-seeing best friend.

"Maybe I should have made that decision," I whispered, leaning down to press a kiss against Bella's forehead.

"Edward Masen, I can hear you!" Alice shouted, "We are doing this the traditional way! That's what you two wanted!"

I chuckled when I heard Jasper join Alice on the other side of our door.

"Darlin', let them be. It's bad enough these two have to share this house with a bunch of vampires. Let them spend the time they want with each other," Jasper said, calming the raging pixie down.

"But Jazzy…" Alice almost whined. "We've been planning this wedding for eight days now…"

It truly was amazing what you could accomplish when you didn't sleep. There was no way a human could put together a wedding as lavish as Alice was making it sound within eight days. In the two days before, we had also all made the move up to Denali, Alaska. Carlisle and Esme still had things to attend to in Forks, so they weren't sure if they would be able to make it for the wedding.

"Maybe you should just go with her," I murmured, stroking Bella's side.

Her eyes met mine and she frowned.

"You think it's a good idea? You and I won't see each other for an entire day! It will be torture! We move at super speed now! Honestly, how long does it take for a vampire to get ready?"

I chuckled at Bella's little rant, but Alice was not as amused.

"Bella! I have plans! This is going to be your dream wedding! After everything you two have been through, you deserve a happy ending like this!" Alice called.

I felt like any second now she was going to burst in the room. The only thing that must have been keeping her outside was knowing that minutes before she was pounding on our bedroom door, Bella and I were doing a whole different kind of pounding…or, well, just _I_ was doing the pounding. I shook my head as Bella appreciatively stroked my newborn erection.

"NO! No, no, no! There's no time for that now!" Alice screeched.

"Alice…" Bella whined, "Please? To say good-bye? Then I promise, I'm all yours."

My eyes widened slightly. My Bella was insatiable. I couldn't help but smirk when I thought back to our past lives. This vampire Bella actually wasn't too different from the incarnations I had known in the past…something I was relieved to find out. Bella had told me she had been equally relieved that I hadn't changed either. According to her, I was the best combination of Murato, Eduardo, Anthony, Robert, and Edward. I could definitely say the same about her.

"Fine!" Alice yelled, "Just once! And don't make me come back up here! I'll bring all the women with me next time!"

Bella shivered against my skin. Neither one us wanted to be found in this position by our mothers. The first couple of nights here in Denali, it had taken quite a bit of practice to get used to, and block out, the other…_extracurricular _activities of our vampire housemates. Especially the noises of our parents.

There was a hard tug on my fully engorged and hard length. I gasped, looking down to find Bella smirking up at me. I pounced and we rolled, Bella giggling as we did so, and I landed cradled between her thighs.

"Alice said just once," Bella whispered quietly.

I smirked and leaned down, pressing my lips against hers.

"Then I guess we better make it count."

* * *

I stood in the window of our bedroom looking out into the garden and forest in the back. The wilderness here in Alaska was truly beautiful, and the Cullens' friends had been more than accommodating and welcoming. Their home here in Denali was a giant, rustic mansion, made to look like a log cabin on the outside, but inside all of the modern accommodations of a home in the city. And there were _tons_ of bedrooms.

It had been an interesting move, but Jasper and Alice planned our route so that Bella and I would have zero contact with any humans. Our families and friends had made up quite the caravan of characters, and we all told stories as we traveled up to Denali. I had learned so much about what things had been like for my parents up until now, and Bella's father and mother both shared stories about their time a part, as well as Garrett. Garrett also filled Alice in on what he knew of her human life, and Garrett and I took turns telling Jasper stories of our memories of our lives in Texas.

The Cullens' friends who lived here were known as the Denali family. Their parents, if you will, were a couple named Carmen and Eleazar, and Eleazar had been friends with Carlisle for many years. The three other members of their family were sisters named Tanya, Irina, and Kate. Rumor had it, that the three sisters were where the myth of the succubus came from. I smiled as I thought back to our first meeting with the Denalis.

_Bella snarled loudly and jumped to crouch down in front of me, putting herself between me and Tanya. I hadn't heard a sound like that come out of her before and it both shocked me and turned me on at the same time. I watched as Tanya raised her hands slowly, moving backwards._

"_I meant no harm," Tanya said quietly, "I did not realize he was your mate."_

"_She's a mind reader," Rosalie said from behind us with a chuckle, "You best remember that."_

"_My apologies," Tanya said, going back to stand by her sister Irina._

"_Perhaps we could go help unload the rest of their luggage?" Irina suggested. "We can get to know Bella and Edward a little later."_

_Tanya nodded and swiftly followed her sister out the door. Carmen and Eleazar were already outside helping Jasper, Emmett, Jonathan, and my father were outside as well. I chuckled when I saw Garrett walk in the room with both me and Bella's mothers on his arm. I couldn't see Alice who was pushing them all along impatiently._

"_All right, pixie!" Garrett said, laughter in his voice, "Calm yourself!"_

"_You move so slow!" Alice complained, "You almost missed it!"_

"_Missed what?" Garrett asked confused._

_Bella turned and smiled up at me, silently lacing her fingers with mine. I knew what Alice was talking about now. The vision she had told Bella about back in Forks. I smiled back as I heard someone descending from upstairs. _

"_No one ever tells me anything…" Another striking blond female mumbled to herself as she came to the top of the stairs. Her head snapped up, having smelt us and she smiled sheepishly._

"_Hi…um…I guess I was lost in my own head for a minute there. I didn't realize you all were in here already."_

_Alice, Rosalie, Bella and I all were watching Garrett closely, and all our faces spread into wide grins when we saw the shift in Garrett's eyes. I quickly snapped my head back to Kate who I heard coming down the stairs slowly. She had the same look in her eyes, which were fixed solely on Garrett._

_The two of them seemed to be in a trance and I saw Alice nod her head towards the front door as Garrett and Kate walked towards each other slowly. The rest of us backed away quietly, not that I think either of them would've noticed. I held Bella to me tightly as I pressed a kiss to her forehead. Our vampire hearing didn't provide much privacy from each other, but I didn't mind overhearing the first meeting of two soul mates._

"_Hi…" Garrett said quietly._

"_Hello. I'm Kate."_

"_Garrett Swan."_

_Kate laughed softly. "Alice always told me not to give up hope."_

"_I'm learning to listen to that one. She never gets it wrong," Garrett said with a chuckle._

_I stopped listening after that, and focused on my own girl in my arms. We were standing out on the front porch now, looking out at the wilderness and mountains that surrounded our new home. This would be where we would spend our first year as newborns, minus the time Alice had planned for me and Bella's honeymoon. I had a feeling we were all going to be very happy here._

"_I'm so happy for him," Bella whispered back. "I'm so happy he won't be alone."_

"_Me too, love. Me too."_

"Hey, Edward, are you ready to go? Man! You haven't even changed yet!"

I turned around to see a very irritated looking Garrett standing there in a black suit and tie. I simply shrugged, still dressed in the jeans and t-shirt I had thrown on early to go hunting with the men. It had been my Bachelor party so to speak.

"It's not like it will take me very long," I said grinning.

"Yeah well, if you rip a seem or pop a button because you waited too long to get dressed, Alice is going to wring your neck."

I sighed heavily, knowing that Garrett was right. All of the women were at another house on the Denali property getting ready with Bella. It was the same house that Bella and I would spend out wedding night and also call our home when we came back from our honeymoon. The family had decided to stay in Denali for a while to help Bella and I adjust to our new lives, and also help our parents and Garrett adjust to a vegetarian lifestyle.

I had to admit that I had feared the worst when I awoke and learned that I was a vampire. All of the Hollywood stereotypes painted us as monsters, drinking the blood of humans. The doctor in me, from Edward's lifetime, was horrified by the thought, and I think somehow that made it a little easier to manage my thirst and resist the call of human blood. Not that we had been around any humans. Jasper planned our travel to Denali perfectly so Bella and I wouldn't be exposed to any humans. Bella was handling her thirst much better than I was. I suppose it was because she had always known that she would have to become a vampire one day in order to break the curse.

The shrill ringing of the new cell phone I had been given broke up my thoughts and I cringed, having a pretty good feeling as to who was going to be on the other line.

"Hello, Alice."

"Edward! How can you not be ready yet?" Alice shouted. "We are getting ready to leave in five minutes! You are supposed to be down and waiting by the arch when we get there!"

"All right, all right," I said, "I'm going. I'm just trying to stay relaxed before the biggest moment of my life."

Alice sighed softly and almost wistfully said, "I know. This is a huge day for both of you. I just want it to be perfect."

"Thank you, Alice. You've already made it perfect."

"I see things going off without a hitch. That is, unless _you_ decide to do something that will mess up all of my visions."

"Like deciding I'm going to go change into some pajama pants and a t-shirt instead of this tuxedo you got me?" I asked with a smirk.

"Don't you dare, Edward Masen!" Alice shrieked. I was pretty sure I just heard her with my natural hearing as well.

I couldn't help but laugh. There was a resounding click on the other end and I looked up to see Garrett smirking as well.

"You know if you ruin this, the pixie isn't the only one whose rage you're going to have to deal with. My sister will be pissed at you."

"I know," I said with a chuckle, "But Alice sure is fun to mess with."

Garrett laughed. "Well, hurry up and get ready man. I gotta pin your flower thing on your tux jacket and we have to be standing at up there waiting for Bella when they get here."

"I can't wait," I said, finally moving to change into my tuxedo.

"You've waited a long time," Garrett said quietly.

One of the beauties of our vampire abilities was that we could have conversations with each other when we weren't even in the same room. I went to change in the bathroom and continued my conversation with Garrett.

"We were married in every single life that we had found one another, but this time feels different."

"What do you mean?" Garrett asked.

I sighed as I buttoned up my long sleeved white shirt.

"This time…this time it really feels like forever."

I expected Garrett to make some sort of joke, but when he spoke he was completely sincere.

"That's because this time it _is_ forever."

I chuckled. "Kate sure is turning you soft."

"Shut up," Garrett grumbled. "And hurry up."

I let Garrett's words roll around in my head as I put on my white bow tie and white waistcoat. This time it really was for forever. There was no Caccio or James that was going to separate us. There was no curse looming over our heads. Bella and I had forever in front of us, and I couldn't wait to have that with her as my wife once again. I slipped on my black jacket, complete with tails and slipped my feet into perfectly polished black shoes. It was very reminiscent of what I had worn to marry Marie and Belle. I was glad that Alice had picked out a more traditional looking tuxedo for me, one that sort of meshed our past with our present. It drove me insane with curiosity as to what Bella's dress might look like. I had fond memories of all the dresses she had worn each time she had become my wife.

A smile spread across my face as I walked towards the door. It was because of my Bella, my beautiful and brave and strong Cigna, that I had any fond memories at all. I had my vows ready in my head, and I truly hoped they would convey to my Bella, my Cigna, just how much I loved her, and how even forever didn't seem like it would be long enough with her.

When I arrived downstairs, I saw the men gathered and chatting in a circle. Each of them was dressed nicely in a suit, and I heard Emmett talking about how perfect the weather was right now. I halted at the bottom of the stairs when I saw someone I didn't expect.

"Carlisle," I said, my voice not hiding my shock at all.

My friend smiled and walked over, patting me on the shoulder.

"I wouldn't miss this wedding for anything," he said happily. "If you and Bella would give me the honor, I'd like to perform the ceremony."

I chuckled and embraced one of my oldest friends in a hug.

"Did Alice plan this?" I asked quietly.

Carlisle pulled back and held both of my shoulders. He had a smirk on his face.

"What do you think, Edward?"

All the men broke out into chuckles, having heard my conversation with Carlisle. Jasper's phone rang and I knew that was our cue to get ready. It felt like a swarm of butterflies had suddenly taken flight in my dormant body. A wave of calm hit me almost as soon as I had felt the metaphorical nerves kick in. I glanced at Jasper who smiled at me.

"I'm glad I get to be here for this one," Jasper said with a smile.

"Me too," I sighed.

"After all, someone has to keep you calm."

I couldn't help but laugh and clap Jasper on the shoulder.

"In all honesty, I don't know who's going to need your power more during the wedding…me or Bella," I said.

"Probably you," Garrett chimed in.

"Shut up," I said, punching him in the arm.

"Boys, come on now," my father said, "We've got a wedding to put on."

Garrett and I snickered as we walked out the door towards the back garden. It really felt like old times again having him and Jasper here with me. Add that to Emmett fitting in with no problem, and we had a perfect little pack of friends. I took a deep breath as Garrett and I reached the front of the aisle, under a spectacular arch of white flowers and twinkling lights. There plush chairs decorated with the same flowers and ribbons, and even more lights in the trees and around the back of the house. Alice had really outdone herself.

"Why didn't you do anything about your hair, boy?" My father said, as he stood in front of me.

I huffed and rolled my eyes. "Well, just who did I inherit this hair from anyway? I can't make it do anything."

"That's your mother's fault," My father replied with a straight face, but with the hint of a smile playing on his lips.

"I'm gonna tell her you said that, Papa," I chuckled.

"Mijo," My father said gripping my cheeks, "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Papa."

"You make her happy, son."

"Always."

My father took my boutonniere from Garrett and pinned it to my lapel. I heard a car pull up in front of the house, and another wave of calm from Jasper hit me. All of the women were here, which meant my Bella was here. My father went to meet my mother and Jonathan Swan took his place, offering me his hand.

"You take care of my little girl, Edward," He said seriously. I didn't think now was the time to joke with him that his daughter was virtually indestructible now.

"I will, Sir," I said, my throat thickening with emotion.

He clapped me on the shoulder. "I'm going to go get her."

I nodded and did my best to keep from fidgeting as I saw the Denalis all walk in and take their seats. Kate was beaming as she looked at Garrett and I knew my best friend must have had a similar look on his face. Emmett walked in escorting Esme and Rosalie, followed by my father with my mother, and Jasper with Bella's mother. I swallowed heavily as I looked at the house. I couldn't see her through the open door, but I knew Bella was in there somewhere with her father. Rosalie took a seat at the harp that was set up near the front of the aisle and I saw Alice appear in the doorway of the house.

"Are you ready, Edward?" Carlisle asked quietly from my side.

I nodded. "I've been waiting for this for centuries."

"And at long last, the moment is here."

Beautiful strains of music began to float from underneath Rosalie's fingers and I turned to face the aisle, my hands nervously picking at each other behind my back. This was it. It was finally happening. I watched as Alice slowly descended the steps from the house, the twinkling lights that were strewn about and the setting sun cascading different colors around the garden. Her blue dress was simple and of her own design, just like my tuxedo and Bella's dress were, and her bouquet was made up of white roses and orchids. She grinned as she passed by me to stand on Bella's side.

"Wait until you see her," She whispered.

There really was no such thing as whispering as everyone else chuckled quietly in response to Alice's words. I didn't get to dwell on it long as the music from Rosalie's hard changed, and the wedding march began to play. In my periphery, I saw everyone stand and turn to look back at the house, but my eyes were trained completely on the vision that I saw step out of the doorway.

Had breathing actually been a necessity, I might have passed out from the sight of the angel who moved towards me on the arm of her father. Bella had never looked more beautiful. Alice had managed to combine elements from all of the previous times we had been married, and honored the lives that we had shared together. The long flowing, A line gown from when I married her in the 1800s. The lace sleeves of her dress that fell off her shoulders and went to her elbows, was much like the dress she wore when I married her in the 1600s. The delicate hand stitched lace veil that covered her face was almost an identical replica of the one she had worn when I married her in the 1400s, but it was the crown on her head that really took my breath away. It was the exact same crown she had worn in her days as my queen, my Queen Cigna. I swallowed heavily as she and Jonathan finally stood in front of me.

"Who gives this woman to this man?" I heard Carlisle say, but my eyes never left Bella's. Had we both been capable of crying, I was positive there would be tears flowing down both our cheeks.

"Her mother and I do," Jonathan Swan said, his voice cracking slightly. When I heard the emotion in his voice, I realized that he had never had the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle and give her away in any of our previous lifetimes. This was a celebration that was a lot bigger than just Bella and I. It was a celebration for our entire family and us all being together again.

I took Bella's hand in mine after she kissed her father on his cheek and handed Alice her bouquet. Though the veil obscured her eyes from me, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Carlisle was speaking, but the words were barely registering. Though we had been here before, nothing compared to the feeling of being here now with Bella. I felt the familiar spark in my hands where her skin touched mine and I heard Bella let out a soft dry sob as Carlisle stated that it was now time for the exchange of vows.

"Edward and Bella have chosen to write their own vows," Carlisle said with a smile. "Edward, please say to Bella what you have prepared."

My grip on Bella's hand tightened slightly as I swallowed heavily.

"I…" I paused and swallowed again, chuckling nervously. I felt a wave of calm from Jasper and I smiled at him gratefully. My eyes went back to Bella and I let myself get lost in her eyes as I spoke.

"I have always loved you, Isabella. I want nothing more than for you to be my wife forever. You have been my best friend, my confidant, my partner, and my one true love. Now nothing, not even time, can stand in the way of my love for you. You are strong, brave, courageous, and beautiful. I promise, here in front of our friends, family, and God, that I will never ever leave you again, I will never forgot you, and I will stay with you in both joy and sorrow, good times and the bad. I promise I will love you beyond forever. I will honor you, respect you, treasure you, protect you, comfort you, and always be honest with you for however long we shall spend on this earth. I love you, Isabella Swan, and I am eternally yours."

Bella let out a dry sob and I squeezed her hands tighter. I longed to wrap my arms around her and comfort her, but I knew it wasn't time for that yet.

"Bella," Carlisle said gently, "Please say to Edward what you have prepared."

Bella chuckled quietly and squeezed my hands.

"It feels like I should be crying. I'm still not used to it," She said quietly. Our friends and family chuckled as Bella shook her head slightly and gained control of her emotions. Her eyes met mine as she started to speak.

"Edward, my Murato, I have loved you since the moment I first met you. I felt it in my soul that you were the man I was destined to be with. Our love has proven that…that…"

Bella let out a sob and I couldn't take it anymore. I wrapped her up in my arms.

"Shhhh…it's okay, my love," I whispered. "Nothing is going to take me away from you ever again. I'm here."

I held her tightly to my chest, feeling her head nod.

"Are you all right to continue?" I asked after a few moments.

Bella nodded and pulled back, laughing softly. "At least I didn't have to worry about my tears ruining my make-up."

This garnered another round of laughs from our friends and family, and Bella and I resumed our previous positions in front of Carlisle. She swallowed and picked up where she left off.

"Our love has proven that there is nothing that can stand in the way of true love. You have been my everything, Edward. You were always my shelter from harm, my laughter and smile at the end of a long day, my heart that beat in my chest. You were, and _are_ my other half, for when I'm with you I feel whole. I will always love you, always find you, and will always fight for you. You have always been my life, Murato, my Edward, and now you will be mine forever. I love you and promise to do so until the earth no longer exists."

I let out a shaky breath and thankfully not a sob. Bella's words were beautiful and I had been waiting forever to hear them.

Carlisle continued on with the ceremony, but there was really only one phrase that I was waiting to hear from him. The exchange of rings was a blur, but I felt the weight of the platinum band that now rested on my left hand. Before I knew it, I heard the words that I had been waiting for.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. Edward, you may kiss your bride."

My fingers trembled slightly as I delicately grasped the edge of her veil and lifted it off Bella's face. I knew she had always loved me, but I was just floored by the look of love in her eyes. I let my fingers trail softly down the side of her face until I was cupping her cheeks. I felt a smile spread across my face.

"I love you," I murmured.

I bent down, my lips meeting hers, and both of us sighed happily. Bella's hands smoothed their way up and down my forearms and she hummed in contentment. I pulled away and rested my forehead against hers. The sound of our friends and family clapping in the background surrounded us in a thunderous roar.

"I love you," I said again, looking into her eyes.

"I love you more," Bella replied.

"Impossible."

"Mmmmm…debatable."

I stood back and let my hands travel down to Bella's waist. I took that opportunity to look at the crown on her head closer. My eyes hadn't deceived me earlier. It really was the crown that Cigna had worn. She must've noticed my eyes.

"Your mother kept it all this time," Bella answered quietly. "She wanted it to remember us by. She has yours as well."

"Really?"

Bella nodded silently. It hadn't even been two weeks since we awoke to this life, and there was still so much to talk about and learn. I sighed happily as I looked at my wife. We had forever to spend with each other and with our families.

There wasn't really a need for a reception, and soon Bella and I found ourselves surrounded by our friends and family. There were hugs and kisses on our cheeks, and soon Bella and I were changing, all of us going on a hunt together to celebrate. We spent the rest of the night talking in the garden and around the house before Bella and I spent our wedding night in the separate cottage on the Denalis' property.

I savored the feeling of her beneath me, trembling and whimpering. I memorized the way her fingers dug into my back and the way her thighs clenched around my waist. My mind remembered the exact angles and pressure that made her fall apart in my arms, and she remembered just how hard to tug my hair and dig her heels into the small of my back to make me lose it. We celebrated our wedding night until the sun broke over the mountains, and it was coincidentally when we finally broke a bed.

* * *

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to this."

"What? Relaxing on the beach on an isolated island in the Caribbean?" Bella asked with a chuckle.

When I turned to look at her, I saw that she hadn't even opened her eyes or moved from where she was lying on her towel in the sand. Her little white bikini covered the important areas, but it almost blended in with her pale skin. Carlisle and Esme had generously let Bella and I use their private island for our honeymoon. The island was even complete with a landing strip on the far side, where Jasper and Alice flew us to on a private plane. I couldn't believe that we had only arrived last evening.

"No smart ass," I said with a roll of my eyes. "Our skin."

While the sun felt amazing, and I was certainly glad the Hollywood stereotypes were wrong, we still couldn't go running around in the sunshine in front of humans. It was difficult to describe, and the first time I saw our skin like that, I couldn't stop staring. I was completely fascinated with the look of our skin and the way it shimmered like diamonds or glass embedded in our skin. Even now, as I lay on the beach with Bella, I couldn't stop looking at her skin.

"What about our skin?" Bella asked, raising her hand to block the sun so she could look at me.

I smirked, a new thought coming to me.

"Well…" I drew out, "I was just wondering…if our skin sparkled like this…_everywhere_."

Bella's eyes narrowed at me. "You're a perv."

"Oh come on…like you haven't wondered!"

Bella sat up on her elbows and stared at me in the eyes before looking down pointedly at my crotch.

"Do you really want to know if your penis sparkles? Is that _really_ an adjective you want to describe your manhood? Sparkly?"

She raised her eyebrows at me in a challenge, knowing she had me there. There was no way I wanted her to ever describe my dick as sparkly. I pounced on her instead, distracting her from the topic of conversation. Bella giggled as I began to ravage her with kisses. I buried my face against her neck and sighed happily.

"Your skin is so warm," Bella whispered, her hands smoothing up and down my back.

"Mmmm…" I purred, nuzzling my face against her skin further. "So is yours."

"Edward…"

I knew that tone of her voice, and the roll of her hips against mine told me what she obviously wanted. I began to kiss my way up her jaw towards her ear.

"Where?"

"The house…" Bella panted.

In a blink of the eye we were in the house and I had Bella on our bed. The strings of her bikini didn't stand a chance against my fingers and her own fingers shredded my board shorts. Bella moaned and purred as trailed my hand up her body and palmed her breast.

"You're skin is so warm," I sighed, nuzzling the spot between her breasts and inhaling deeply.

"Oh God…yours too…"

I groaned in near complete ecstasy. She felt so warm it was almost like she was human again. My hands and lips were everywhere, wanting to feel her before the warmth seeped from her skin.

"Edward…please…"

Our bodies aligned easily and quickly, and we fit together perfectly, two pieces made for each other, neither complete without the other. Hands and mouths traveled across any expanse of skin they could find, and Bella's legs snaked around my body, her left knee near my shoulder. I groaned, feeling so deep and connected to her. Bella threw her head back, crying out in pleasure as our hips picked up their already frantic pace. I could hear the bed groaning from our quick and strong movements, but that was all blocked out by the all consuming pleasure I felt being connected with Bella this way.

"More…please, Edward…more…"

What I had quickly learned was that there was a very animalistic side to our new vampire natures, and I let out a loud roar, so aroused by Bella's words. My hand slammed through the head board as I reared back, my right hand finding purchase amongst the splinters and the left anchoring itself to Bella's hip as my hips slammed against hers.

My Bella was wild and beautiful, her mahogany hair fanned out over the pillows and flowing down over her shoulders and breasts. Her eyes were wide and desperate, her walls beginning to flutter around me. Her right hand slipped up to the back of my neck as her left palmed her own breast. I growled at the sight, feeling myself coming closer and closer to that edge.

"Edward…kiss me…" Bella panted.

I heard a loud crack followed by crashes, but I could've cared less in that moment. I crushed my lips to Bella's swallowing her cry of pleasure as she shattered around me. We both gasped, feeling the bottom of the bed give out, but I couldn't move from where I was, my lips mere millimeters apart from Bella's, swallowing each other's pants and soft moans. I let out a long, low moan as my orgasm finally shook through me, causing Bella to whimper and moan in return, her legs clenching around me tighter and her arms molding me to her body.

Time had little meaning to me anymore, and I wasn't sure how long Bella and I lay wrapped tightly in each other's arms. Finally deciding it was time to survey the damage and see just how much Bella and I were going to owe Carlisle and Esme for letting us honeymoon on their private island, I lifted my head. There was chaos everywhere. The entire frame of the bed collapsed. Shattered beams were everywhere, with white tattered sheets hanging off of them. A punctured pillow was speared on one of the beams, and white feathers on the floor. Underneath my fingers I saw that Bella and I had also clawed a part the sheets and mattress. Bella's soft giggles brought my attention back to her happy and sated face.

"What?" I asked, a smile spreading across my face as I let the appearance of the bedroom set in.

"You have splinters of wood and feathers in your hair," Bella said, trying not to laugh.

I chuckled and reach to pluck a feather out of her hair.

"So do you, love."

"You do realize that we have barely even been here a day and we've already broken the master bed and put a sizeable hole in the wall in the living room."

"We'll repair everything before we leave," I said, slowly rolling off Bella so I could sit up and really take inventory of the damage.

I let out a deep breath as I really took a look around the room. There was quite a bit that we were going to have to fix or replace. Bella knelt behind me and wrapped her arms around my chest, letting her chin rest on my shoulder.

"I'm a littler weirded out by the thought, but I actually bet that Alice saw this happening," Bella whispered.

From somewhere in the living room I heard one of our cell phones chirp with an incoming text message. We both broke out into laughter, which was followed by another text message.

"I think we're covered," Bella said, placing a kiss on my cheek. "Come take a shower with me? I feel like I have splinters and sand in my hair."

"Mmmm…" I hummed, turning my head to nuzzle Bella's cheek. "Maybe we should try the outdoor shower. We should aim to not destroy the interior pluming."

"All right," Bella said with a chuckle. "I think we'll be okay. The walls are made out of lava stone."

Moving at vampire speed, I had Bella swept up in my arms, standing in the middle of the disaster in our bedroom. Her fingers curled into the hair at the base of my neck.

"We're setting ourselves up for quite a reputation," Bella said, trying to remain serious, but a smile still spread across her face. I knew exactly what she was talking about. This was the third bed that we had broken.

"Maybe we should just sleep on the floor. They do that in Japan don't they? We'll have just a mattress, sheets, and pillows."

Bella laughed as I carried out towards the shower.

"I think that might be a good idea, my dear husband."

After managing to leave the outdoor shower intact, Bella and I were lounging in the hammock on the patio watching the sun dip below the waves. It was nice being here all alone, and we didn't bother putting on any clothes as we lay in each other's arms. There was a breeze, but the elements no longer affected us, and neither of us was cold, and I was happy that I would never have to worry about getting a sunburn ever again. Bella sighed as the last of the great ball of fire dipped behind the waves and she turned over to face me in my arms.

"What is it?" I asked quietly.

"Carlisle said it will take about a year for us to gain control of our abilities and to be accustomed to their diet," Bella said, her brows furrowed.

"He also said it might be quicker, considering how well we were doing before we left," I replied, lifting a hand to smooth away her worries.

Bella nodded, but I knew there was something else bothering her.

"Tell me," I whispered.

"After that year, we're probably all going to take some time away from each other to reconnect with our mates. Alice was saying that Jasper wanted to go back to Asia, and Rosalie and Emmett were going to go to Europe. I know my mother and father were thinking about going to Asia as well, and your parents were thinking of going to South America."

I nodded, listening quietly. I had a feeling where Bella was going with all of this, but I waited patiently for her to get to her point. I knew Carlisle and Esme were going to stay in Alaska for a while. It was likely Garrett was going to stay with Kate as well.

"Tell me, Bella," I said before placing small kisses around her face. "Tell me…what do you want? Where do you want to go?"

"I want to see the world," Bella replied quietly.

"Then we will see the world. We'll go everywhere and anywhere you want to go."

"We have some restrictions."

I knew she was referring to our thirst and our skin in the sunlight, but I continued my soft kisses around her cheeks and eyelids.

"We'll ask the others how they've gotten around. We'll see the world, Bella. That I promise you."

"Where should we start?" Bella asked, leaning back to look up at me.

I cupped her cheek and leaned forward, my lips finally finding their place on hers, sucking her plump bottom lip between my own. I hummed in pleasure, completely and blissfully happy in my life finally. I pulled back and stroked her cheek with my fingers as I looked into her deep, soulful eyes.

"I don't know where we should go first, my love…but we have forever to figure it out."

"Forever is an awfully long time."

I pressed more forehead against hers, holding her tightly to my chest.

"Forever is only the beginning, Bella. Only the beginning."

_**Well? Yes? No? I hope you all enjoyed that. All that's left is the epilogue. Sniff sniff…can't believe this one is pretty much wrapped.**_

_**Some important news! "Remember Me" has been nominated for TWO Tomato Soup Awards! Best Organic Tomato (for most original plot) and Best Cotton Candy (for best fluffy story). Voting begins September 6**__**th**__**! Please remember to go vote! I'll appreciate it big time! :-D**_

_**Well, let me know what you all thought, good or bad, pretty please? This is the last regular chapter, so I would really love to hear from you all! Epilogue coming soon! **_


	18. Epilogue

**fDisclaimer: Not mine…Just playing with SM's characters…**

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading & reviewing! I'm so glad you all liked Edward & Bella's wedding and honeymoon! :-D**

**Well, this is it…more thanks from me at the end.**

**OH! I was featured on the Avant Garde Awards Blog Author Spotlight! HUGE thanks to teamswitzerlandmom for putting together such a great article! And another HUGE thanks to eternally_addicted, sherryola, lovedwardalways, cedward2417, and Pinksapphyr for all of your kind words! I can't even put into words how thankful I am. :-D**

**As, always, thank you to my beta eternally_addicted. Love you, bb! **

_**Our love would be forever**_

_**And if we die, we die together**_

_**And I, I said never**_

_**Because our love would be forever**_

_**- Muse, "Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)"**_

Epilogue

_**EPOV**_

_3 years later_

It was surreal to be standing where I was at the moment. I didn't think there was any way that the meadow would still be here, but it was. I was standing in the shade of a tree, not moving a muscle, as I waited for Bella. I could hear her, though just barely. Her lithe body made her the better hunter between the two of us, though I was faster. I smiled as I heard the rapid heartbeat of the deer she was hunting. The deer knew we were near, and its terrified heart was giving away its position.

Bella and I were just outside of Rome, Italy, and I was standing on the edge of the meadow that started it all. It was the meadow where we had met, and the meadow where we had been cursed. I hadn't expected it to still be here, but here it stood, untouched by time. The castle I had once lived in all those centuries ago had been destroyed when my family fell. The small village that Bella had grown up in was gone, falling when my kingdom had. There was now a getaway hotel on the location. Bella and I had decided to stay there as we visited the place where we had truly been born…our beginning.

The first year of our new life was much as Carlisle had said it would be. We'd had to get used to our thirsts as well as our new powers. Bella had a lot more trouble adjusting to controlling her power and trying not to overhear the private thoughts of our friends and families. We also discovered an added element to my own shielding power. It wasn't limited to myself, and with help from Carlisle and Eleazar—and Alice watching the outcomes of their decisions— we were able to discover that I was able to lift my shield in order to encompass others and protect them as well. It drove Alice crazy when I played around and blocked her from seeing Bella's decisions. Bella didn't find it funny _all _the time, but it had been handy a few times.

When Carlisle decided it was time for us to try and interact with humans, Bella and I were both a nervous wreck. We took advice from everyone. Jasper told us not to breathe, Alice reminded us to blink once in a while, Emmett said to not touch anyone, and Carlisle reminded us to not move too fast. Esme and Rosalie stayed back with our parents and Garrett. They still didn't feel like they were comfortable enough to try and interact with humans. Bella and I got a few strange looks, but otherwise our first trip into town had been successful. However, poor Jasper's nerves were shot from the nervous tension between Bella and me.

After Bella and I had become comfortable venturing into town and interacting with humans, we decided it was time for us to try and venture out on our own for a little while. Bella wanted to see the world and I promised her that we would. Rosalie and Emmett were going to take their own trip to reconnect after their time apart, as were Bella's parents. By the time Bella and I had left, we weren't too sure what everyone else was doing, but we all ended up with international cell phone plans, courtesy of Carlisle. Each of us promised to check in with each other via email if we couldn't use our phones. Carlisle also gave me and Bella's families money in order to travel and set up our own means. We all protested at first, but when Carlisle explained—as did the rest of the Cullens—that they had more wealth than they knew what to do with, we all had accepted his offer. I was still trying to figure out a way to pay Carlisle back.

So, with that, our little group spread out all over the world, but home for now, was still in Alaska. It was our central point as we fanned out and went our separate ways. It was a silent agreement that we would all be back at one point or another. We couldn't have Alaska be a home base forever, and Carlisle had mentioned before that he wanted it to be a family decision as to where we would call "home" next.

The spot where my dormant heart lay warmed at the thought even though it no longer beat. Carlisle thought of all of us as a family. He included me and Bella's parents and Garrett in that, which was what made my heart feel almost alive again. We had all been apart for so long…and it was nice to know that we would be together again forever. I smiled, but didn't make a noise as I heard the deer's heart rate accelerate even further. It wasn't moving, but I knew any second it was going to make a run for it. Bella would never let it get away. She was too good of a huntress. Carlisle often wondered if Bella's ability to track her prey was another ability that she brought from her human life as she spent many centuries trying to find me. However he'd also said it was unheard of for vampires to have two gifts.

Bella's control of her gift amazed me. I knew that it still bothered her from time to time, but when we were alone, miles away from civilization, she found peace, and it was rare that I ever dropped my shield. I had promised to always provide her comfort, and shielding my thoughts from her gave her that. Though, I did drop my shield from time to time.

"_You're going to give the poor deer a heart attack if you keep this game up,"_ I thought, dropping my shield. Bella made no noise in response, but I knew she heard me.

Our journey to Rome had been a long one, and we had been here for nearly a month now. I knew soon Bella would be wanting to move on and see more of the world, but I also knew that she was starting to miss the familiarity of home. On our travels, we visited all the places that we had once lived together. Texas had been our first stop, and Alice and Jasper had actually accompanied us on that one. They were also heading down to Biloxi when they were done. Through information from Garrett, Alice was able to learn that she actually had a living relative, a niece named Cynthia. We roamed through Texas with Alice and Jasper, Jasper and I showing the girls what we remembered of our time there, and me showing Jasper things from his human life that he had forgotten. Visiting the site of our old home in Texas had been particularly hard for Bella. In that lifetime, she had truly thought the curse had been broken when I returned to her near death from the war. I had survived and we were going to have a family of our own. It was hard to relive, but Bella and I comforted each other through it all.

After parting with Bella and me, Alice and Jasper headed down to Mississippi and Alice was able to meet her 90 something year old niece. Jasper, having found his own sense of peace for his human life, was looking forward to helping Alice do the same. According to Jasper, his power had been put into overdrive between the two women. Cynthia's caretakers said she had dementia, and when she said Alice looked just like her grandmother, they wrote it off as an old woman babbling nonsense. Alice on the other hand, was able to find some peace from her human life.

Bella and I traveled to London, England next. We couldn't spend too much time in Texas due to the weather, but rainy, cloudy London was perfect. We ended up staying for months, exploring the entire country and also visiting places in London from our time there. We even met with Emmett and Rosalie who were also traveling through Europe. Through all of the commotion of me and Bella's changes and managing two newborns plus trying to convert human blood drinkers into "vegetarians", which had been trying for everyone, Emmett and Rosalie hadn't really had a chance to mend their relationship. When we met them in Newcastle however, things looked to be mended and Rosalie was happier than I had ever seen her.

In Spain, Bella and I spent another several months exploring the country, as well as revisiting where we once lived. Our little stream was still there, nestled in the untouched woods, and we couldn't help but take a swim. Of course, Bella coaxed my "snake" out to play for old time's sake. We spent our days roaming the country, occasionally interacting with locals as we made purchases and sent gifts back home to our families in Alaska. I was happy to say that the only bed we broke was in Spain, and fortunately the concierge just smirked at us as Bella and I explained my…zealousness. Emmett was tickled by the fact that Bella and I were building up a reputation as a two man wrecking crew.

After leaving Spain we found ourselves where we were now, in Italy. I smirked as I heard Bella deliberately snap a twig. The deer took off and I saw it run into the meadow. Bella was on it in a second, leaping from a tree with all the grace of a bird of prey and pinned the beast down. Her teeth sunk into the deer's flesh instantly. Watching Bella hunt wet my appetite in more ways than one. I crossed my arms across my chest, my fingers digging into my palms, in a vain attempt to make sure I didn't act on _one_ of those appetites. Bella released the deer body, which landed with a thud, and swiped away the trickle of blood on her lips.

I growled and was at her side in a second, unable to hold myself back any longer. Bella simply grinned up at me, my chest heaving with unnecessary breaths and soft growls.

"Mmmm…" Bella hummed, "That was fun."

I buried my face against her neck, running my nose up her skin. There were times were our animalistic tendencies just took over completely. They had been incredibly hard to control at first…especially when Bella and I first started interacting with humans. Bella ran a hand through my hair as she pressed the side of her face against mine in an affectionate gesture.

"Do you need to feed more?" Bella whispered.

"_Not that kind of hungry..."_ I thought, dropping my shield.

Bella gasped as I left my shield down and began to replay my memories of us in a clearing in Alaska the first time she and I had been permitted to go hunting alone together. The frozen ground had no affect on our bodies, and after watching Bella take down a large wolf, I practically ravaged her in the snow, destroying all of our clothes in the process. We had to run back to our house as fast as possible and avoid any family members. We got teased quite often about our insatiable ways, but it was Esme who diplomatically put it as, "they are making up for lost time."

After making up for lost time in our meadow that started it all, Bella and I lay in the grass, our clothes lazily thrown back on, and watched as the colors in the sky changed, signaling the end of another day. Time had become a strange concept now that we neither slept nor aged. Bella was curled around me with her head on my chest while my hand was slowly trailing up and down her spine. She sighed heavily and burrowed closer.

"What are you thinking about, love?" I asked, a chuckle in my voice. Bella was always affectionate, but there was something weighing on her mind.

"Can you shield me?" She said quietly.

I did as she asked. It was rare when Bella asked, and usually it was so a certain vampire wouldn't be able to take a peek at our futures.

"_All right, love…what's on your mind?"_

"Well…" Bella drew out, leaning up to prop herself up on her elbow, "First of all, have I told you how grateful I am that we discovered this part of your power?"

I couldn't help but smirk. _"I think you might've mentioned it once or twice."_

Bella grinned back. "Well…I was thinking about something today."

I chuckled, choosing to speak out loud now.

"Bella, thousands of thoughts go through our heads every second. You're going to have to be a little more specific."

She poked me playfully in the ribs.

"I'm being serious!"

"All right! All right!" I cried, holding up hands up in surrender. "Tell me your thoughts, beautiful."

Bella bit her lip as she seemed to mull something over, and I couldn't help but think that she almost looked human in that moment. I had seen her perform that nervous habit countless times over the centuries. All that was missing was her blush, which I admittedly did miss quite a bit.

"I…" Bella started out slowly. "I was thinking that maybe we could head home?"

She asked it as more of a question, and I knew that she didn't mean that she wanted to head back to our hotel for the night. I sat up slowly so that I could look at her eye to eye, and cupped her cheek softly, letting my thumb brush over the apple of her cheek.

"You want to go home?"

Bella nodded. "I…well, not that I haven't been having the best time alone with you and seeing where we once lived, but I…I…"

"You miss everyone," I finished quietly.

"It's strange," Bella said, her hand moving to toy with a button on my shirt. "I…I almost feel like a child in this life, even though we're both so far from being children. I feel like I still need to reassurance of our families, and I need that closeness."

"I understand," I said with a nod. I hadn't brought it up, but I was starting to feel a pull back towards the States. I knew that pull would inevitably lead us back to Alaska.

"You don't mind?"

I looked up into Bella's golden eyes and smiled. "No."

My smile spread wider into a grin that took up my whole face.

"You want to surprise Alice don't you?"

Bella smirked at me. "Why else do you think I had you shield me?"

I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. "We'll surprise them all."

After deciding that we wanted to leave as soon as possible, I kept Bella encompassed by my shield as we stood hand in hand and began to walk back towards our hotel. I stopped when I felt Bella pull back. When I turned, she was looking over her shoulder at our meadow. I smiled softly.

"We'll be back one day, Bella."

She turned, her beautiful eyes meeting mine. Even though they weren't the deep brown that I had loved for all time, I could see the love I did know shinning back at me.

"Do you think it will always be here, Edward? I…I'm going to miss this place," Bella said quietly, almost afraid.

I pulled her close to me, wrapping my arms around her.

"I have a feeling that there's something magical about this meadow. It'll be here forever, and we can always come back to it any time you want."

"Do you promise?"

I leaned down a pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

"I do," I whispered.

Bella and I stood there a few seconds longer, watching as the purples and blues of twilight descended upon the clearing. I let go of her waist and laced my fingers back through hers. I placed a kiss on top of her hand before we started walking through the forest again.

"Come, my love…we have plenty of adventures still ahead of us."

Bella sighed softly as she pressed herself against my side. We had experienced so much in our new lives, and were fortunate that unlike the others, we didn't have to say goodbye to our human memories.

Forever I would remember meeting Cigna in this meadow in Italy.

Forever I would remember the feel of the Spanish stream's cool water against my skin.

Forever I would remember seeing Marie standing with me as Carlisle married us.

Forever I would remember returning to Belle's side, traveling through most of Texas to do so.

Forever I would remember the moment that I remembered everything…the moment where Edward and Murato became one.

Forever I would remember being reunited with my family, and finding peace for the first time in centuries.

I knew what it felt like to not remember, to not understand why I felt different, or why things seemed familiar when they shouldn't. I glanced at the beautiful woman walking at my side. I knew what it felt like to forget her, and to forget myself. Never again would I forget the love and joy I had in _my_ life thanks to the woman I loved for all time. Forever, I would remember me, and remember us.

_**THE END**_

**Well? Yes? No? Sniff sniff…I can't believe this one is done! And no, I don't have plans for a sequel, but I never say no to an outtake or two if they're wanted. :-D **

**#1. BIGGEST THANKS EVER to eternally_addicted! She held my hand through all of this craziness, encouraged my ideas, suggested some of her own, and made sense of my messy first drafts! THANK YOU, BB! I can't say it enough!**

**#2. HUGE THANKS to all of you who have EVER read, reviewed, put this story on alert, added it to your favorites, PM'd me, sent out Tweets, nominated me for awards, wrote about me on blogs or Facebook…seriously, THANK YOU TO YOU ALL! Your support kept me going :-D **

**#3. I wanted to remind you all that "Remember Me" has been nominated for TWO Tomato Soup Awards (for Best Original Plot and Best Fluffy? Story), AND my lovely beta eternally_addicted has been nominated for Best Beta, AND my story "Whatever It Takes" has also been nominated for Best Story That Keeps You Up All Night (I think that's what it was called). Anyway, I would love it if you voted for me, but also just go take a look at the nominations. I'm sure more than one of your favorite stories are nominated :-D **

**#4. Well, this is it! I can't say thank you enough, so I'll just say it one more time. THANK YOU! Please let me know what you though, good or bad, pretty please? And maybe I'll give you a look at what I have planned for my next story :-P **

**~NoelleSeven**


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